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BOROUGH OF BARKING.
ANNUAL REPORT
of the
School Medical Officer for the Borough of
Barking, in the County of Essex, for the year
ended 31st December, 1943. (War Edition).
Public Health Department,
Barking, Essex.
April, 1944.
To the Chairman & Members of the
Local Education Authority.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have pleasure in submitting my report for the year
ended 31st December, 1943.
Once again, owing to the war it is in attenuate form,
but I proudly believe it is neither pale nor anaemic, but shows a
robust state of affairs.
It shows that your services have stood up to the strain
of wartime conditions and, what is more important, it shows that
the children have stood up to the strain of wartime conditions.
It shows that although during the days of the great blitz we lost
some of our ideals with regard to cleanliness, the people of
Barking are resilient; that so soon as the blitz was over they
began to set their houses in order so far as cleanliness was
concerned. Indeed, herein I would advise you that if that small
percentage of dirty people who form a reservoir of infestation
were dealt with drastically, the rest of the people would have a
much easier, and certainly a less anxious, time.
I have no desire at this stage to draw wonderful
conclusions from our happy state with regard to the relatively
small incidence of diphtheria amongst school children, but at
least it must be stated that this freedom is associated with mass
immunisation against diphtheria, which on the whole has been
carried out very successfully in Barking.
Although the teachers in' the schools have so many
incidental duties which interfere with their work proper, and
although my own staff have had so many incidental duties placed
upon them by reason of the war, and although one might jump to
the conclusion that all this must mean from time to time that
pettifogging difficulties are bound to arise, as a matter of fact
that is not so. The generous measure of co-operation we have
always received from the teachers has been most generously
maintained and I wish to express my appreciation for all the help
which I have received and which all the members of my staff have
received from them.
I am,
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,
Medical Officer of Health.
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