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67
THE CONTROL OF DISEASE.
It is satisfactory to report that the epidemic of
Smallpox which occupied so much of our time and
energy in 1929 and 1930, subsided in 1931, although
sporadic cases still occur. At the same time, prac—
tically all the other important notifiable diseases have
also fallen considerably in their incidence. A notable
exception to this was Pneumonia, which was not only
prevalent but contributed to the rise in the Death Rate,
which is recorded elsewhere in this report.
I do not propose to repeat the considerations
advanced in my report last year that the Medical Officer
of Health should be furnished with more information
about the illness which is occurring in his district and
with greater powers to prevent and deal with it.
We have the curious anomaly of the organised
public health service concentrating its excellent resources
on diseases like Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria, while
Rheumatism—a non.notifiable disease—with its great
potentiality for serious crippling is practically outside
its ken. This anomaly is of course specially marked
in the London Boroughs where the local health authority
has no responsibility for the school medical service.