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11
and they cover the wide field of Food and Drugs administration, including
the supervision of catering establishments, the conditions of dwelling
houses and details of administrative action taken under the Housing and
Public Health Acts, progress in measures to safeguard the atmosphere
from pollution, and a variety of other activities. Since the transfer of
the maternity and child welfare and other personal services to the
London County Council by the Health Service Act in 1948, it is true that
a number of matters of much local interest find no place in this report,
but the City Council's representatives on the London County Council
Divisional Committee are able to maintain some measure of contact with
the services for which the City Council was formerly responsible.
One is sometimes asked what effects on the health services have been
observed since 4th July, 1948. From a somewhat limited observation
post it is difficult to discern any real advantages during the past four
years. In such essentially local affairs as the birth and care of children,
the home care of the consumptive, the home help service which safeguards
the welfare of old citizens whose energies and faculties are failing,
centrally administered control must always be at some disadvantage.
The London County Council in this division has striven to preserve the
customs and traditions of the services formerly under the control of the
City Council and no higher compliment could have been paid. Relations
with the officers of the London County Council have been uniformly
happy. As officers of a very large administrative machine they have
shown themselves very understanding in adapting the pre-existing local
methods into the complex structure of the County administration.
As an obiter dictum one is led to reflect on the traditional common
sense of the British people. What chaos might have resulted in a less
experienced democracy or one without the advantage of a stable and
well-trained Civil and Local Government Service in view of the rapid
succession of revolutionary changes which Parliament has brought about
since 1945. It is almost entirely due to the ability and great experience
of the officers of all ranks already engaged in those services that the vast
new machines of publicly-owned undertakings cuch as the National
Health Service have rumbled onwards so smoothly.
There will appear sooner or later some curtailment in the activities
of the department. This is due to the extreme difficulty in obtaining
sanitary inspectors of suitable ability and experience to fill vacancies.
These difficulties are not exclusive to Westminster but are being
experienced throughout most of the London Boroughs.
I would again wish to thank the Chairman, Councillor C. R. Purnell,
for his active interest in all matters relating to the staff and work of the
department. The Vice-Chairman, Lt.-Col. Norman Edwards, and all
members of the Public Health Committee have shown great appreciation
and consideration of the staff who have carried out their duties with their
accustomed loyalty and high sense of duty.
I have the honour to be
Your obedient servant,
Andrew J. Shinnie,
July, 1952. Medical Officer of Health.
(6916) a. 4