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Urban District Council of Chislehurst
and Sidcup
PREFATORY LETTER TO THE CHAIRMAN AND
MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have pleasure in submitting to you my Annual Report
for the year 1948, this being the first submitted by me since
taking up my duties as your Medical Officer of Health on
the 1st August, 1948, subsequent upon the retirement of
Dr. P. N. Cave, who for so long served you so loyally with
such notable skill and ability.
By virtue of the National Health Act, 1946, much of the
work brought to fruition by Dr. Cave was transferred to the
administration of the County Council on 5th July last, and
this has made more difficult my task of reporting to you on
the work of the Health Department during the year 1948.
Under the scheme of divisional administration, your
Authority has lost functions previously administered by it,
but it should be realised that there is still a vast field of
work !to be explored in Public Health, so long as one has
not too narrow a conception of the definition of Public
Health, which includes investigation of, and care for, the
general social conditions of the populace, with the accent
always on prevention.
I lay great stress on the previous paragraph in the hope
of allaying, to some extent at least, the fear that local
enthusiasm and incentive are being entirely stifled by recent
changes. Elsewhere in the report will be found a resume
of the services rendered by the County scheme through their
divisional administration as they concern the inhabitants
of Chislehurst and Sidcup.
There is a further matter of Public Health importance on
which attention has been focussed during the last year, and
to which further detailed consideration will have to be given
in the near future. I refer to the question of the hygiene
of food preparation and handling. Mr. Allen and the District
Sanitary Inspectors have commenced a thorough investigation
of the local cafes, restaurants, canteens and kitchens,
where food is prepared for communal feeding, and I hope
to be in a position to give a full account of their findings
in my next Annual Report.
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