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5.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury.
I have the honour to present the Annual Report of the work of
the Public Health Department during 1945, in the continued absence of
Dr. C.O.S.Blyth Brooke on military service.
The end of the War made it possible for the first steps to be
taken towards a return to the normal Working of the department. It will
be noted in the statistical section which follows that the population of
the borough increased slightly during the year, this being due to inward
transfer and not to natural increase. During the year births and deaths
were approximately equal due to the abnormal distribution of the population
In 1944 preliminary arrangements were made to guarantee payments to foster
mothers and to assist in the Moral Welfare work in the borough by
contributing to the funds of the local committee. Payment is now being
made but so far we have been unable to find suitable women in the borough
who are willing to undertake the duties of foster mother. The increase
in the number of illegitimate children noted in 1944 has, unfortunately,
been maintained in 1945. The shortage of suitable women willing to
undertake domestic duties was reflected also in the position regarding
Home Helps for Maternity cases and the neW Domestic Help scheme; the
present position being that the long established Home Help scheme is
being operated with difficulty owing to the staff shortage and that it
has been impossible to make a start with the proposed Domestic Help Scheme,
although Finsbury approved such a scheme more than a year before the
official scheme was suggested by the Ministry of Health.
One of the first moves towards normal working after the War
was the re-establishment of the Maternity and Child Welfare Centre in Pine
Street. In consequence the Reception Flat became available for its proper
function and the temporary premises in Whiskin Street were vacated.
The disbandment of the Civil Defence Service freed the parttime
Rodent Operatives and four of them were appointed to full-time posts
to operate the scheme for rat repression,
In order to encourage dealers to sell designated milk the
Council decided during the year to issue licences without payment of the
customary fee. A full-time laboratory technician was appointed for the
first time with a view to intensifying the laboratory control of milk.
Finsbury experienced its first visit of the L.C.C.Mass
Radiography Unit during the year and details of the work can be found in
the Tuberculosis section of the report.
The gratifying lowering of the infant mortality of last year
has not been maintained. In all 26 infants under the age of one year
died in 1945. 19 died in the first month of life, the other 8 dying
between the age of 1 month and 1 year. rematurity continues to be an