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London County Council
INTERIM REPORT OF THE
COUNTY MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
AND SCHOOL MEDICAL OFFICER
FOR THE YEAR 1945
By Sir Allen Daley, M.D., F.R.C.P., County Medical Officer of Health and
School Medical Officer
INTRODUCTION
The most significant event in 1945, from the point of view of the public health
as from every other standpoint, was the ending of hostilities—in Europe in May and
elsewhere in August. The last day on which civilian casualties occurred was 27th
March, but, between the beginning of the year and then, 2,878 casualties, resulting
from rocket bombs, had been taken to hospitals or first-aid posts by the London
Auxiliary Ambulance Service. This brings the total number of casualties conveyed
by the Service to 48,709. From the beginning of the year to 27th March there were
25 incidents at 21 hospitals. Considerable blast damage was done, and unfortunately
3 porters lost their lives at the Brook Hospital, when two blocks, containing 96 beds
but at that time no patients, were demolished. Many also were the gaps and scars
remaining from the previous years.
Shortages of staff were more acute during the earlier part of 1945 than they had
ever been, and there was very little improvement even by the end of the year.
Despite the most persistent efforts to begin to restore the hospital services to their
pre-war state, the results were painfully small. Some of the patients evacuated
to safer areas in 1944 returned at the end of that year; but it was not until the
autumn of 1945 that any substantial number could be brought back, and there were
many still awaiting return in 1946, including some hundreds who were evacuated
from London in 1940 and 1941. The main reason for inability to receive them all
back was shortage of nursing and domestic staff, though unrepaired damage to buildings
would probably have prevented the return of all, even had staff been available.
Such building labour and material as were available were used for first-aid
repairs so as to restore ward and staff accommodation, and to remove blackout,
blast walls and other reminders of the preceding six years. The evacuated schoolchildren
and the general population also began to return, and this resulted in greater
calls on the school health and hospital services.
The aftermath of war brought to London smallpox of the oriental type, and
typhus fever, but fortunately there was no spread.
War casualties-Service and civilian-and Service sick were treated in the
Council's hospitals in large numbers, and a special unit was established for the
reablement of ex-prisoners of war suffering from neuroses (see page 60).
The vital statistics are set out in somewhat fuller form than in recent reports
(pages 3 to 19). The death-rate was the lowest of the war years and approaches
the pre-war figure. The rate of infantile mortality was the lowest ever recorded in
London.
The rest of the report gives, under the various sections, a brief account of the
work in which the department has been engaged.
The death-rate from tuberculosis continued to decline from the year 1941, but
was substantially above the pre-war figure. Recommendations for the institutional
treatment of tuberculosis were fewer than in 1938, or even than in 1944, but the
number awaiting beds continued to grow because of inability to obtain sufficient staff
800 (MºC. 61533-6) 28-10-46 3089A. (1) A