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London County Council
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL, 1937
VOL. Ill (Part I)
REPORT OF THE COUNTY MEDICAL OFFICER FOR THE YEAR 1937
By Sir Frederick Menzies, K.B.E., M.D., LL.D., F.R.C.P., F.R.S.E., K.H.P.,
County Medical Officer of Health and School Medical Officer.
Organisation of the department
The medical work of the public health department is organised in three branches,
(i) special hospitals, including control of the acute infectious diseases and of the
ambulance and pathological laboratory services; (ii) general hospitals and district
medical work transferred from the late London poor.law guardians; and (iii) general
public health administration, including the domiciliary midwifery service, housing
and the school medical service. A principal medical officer is in charge of each of
the three branches, viz., (i) special hospitals, etc., Dr. J. A. H. Brincker ; (ii) general
hospitals and public assistance medical administration, etc., Dr. H. W. Bruce ; and
(iii) general public health administration, etc., Dr. W. A. Daley.
The duties of Miss D. E. Bannon, matron.in.chief in the public health department,
include the supervision and organisation of the nursing and certain other staff
at hospitals and institutions, together with the superintendence of the school nursing
staff.
The lay administrative work of the department for which the chief clerk and
establishment officer, Mr. W. J. K. Crawforth, is responsible, is organised in the
following five divisions, each under the direction of a principal clerk: special
hospitals (including the pathological laboratory services and the control of infectious
diseases); general hospitals (including district medical work); hospital finance;
staff; and general public health (including the school medical service). The
ambulance service is under the direction of an officer.in.charge.
Other volumes of the Council's Annual Report which deal with the work of the
department are:–
Vol. Ill, Part II School medical service.
Vol. IV, Part I General and special hospitals (including pathological
services, staff and London ambulance service).
Vol. IV, Part II Hospital finance.
Vol. IV, Part III Medical supplement (containing original articles by
members of the medical and technical staff).
This volume describes the other activities of the public health department.
Population
Vital Statistics
The population enumerated in London by the census on the night of 26th April,
1931, was 4,397,003, including 10,500 non.civilians. In this census the place of usual
residence was also recorded, so that two population figures are available, the enumerated
population already stated, and the normal resident population, which was
4,419,877.
The Registrar.General estimates the resident population of the county in the
middle of 1937 to have been 4,094,500, compared with 4,141,100 a year earlier. The
corresponding estimates for metropolitan boroughs are shown in table 34, and the
rates given in this annual report are calculated upon these figures.
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