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not, at present, capable of control. The remaining death was
due to broncho-pneumonia, a condition of high mortality
among very young children but nowadays more amenable to
treatment than a decade ago.
There were, again, no maternal deaths in 1952 which
reflects credit on the local midwifery services, bearing in
mind the fact that there were 400 live births during the year
in addition to 8 stillbirths.
The incidence of infectious disease was again very low.
with the exception of scarlet fever which is, nowadays, in
most cases, a very mild disease which is treated at home except
in those cases where housing conditions are bad or
where there is some other special indication for the patient
to be removed to hospital. No case of diphtheria was notified
during the year and, in fact, only two cases of this disease
have occurred since 1942. This is a very remarkable fact
and should encourage parents to have their children immunised
notwithstanding the present day absence of diphtheria.
Two cases of paralytic poliomyelitis occurred during
the year compared with a similar number in 1951, The
behaviour of this disease is unpredictable and presents one
of the chief epidemiological problems at the present time.
The Clean Food Campaign made further progress during
the year although there is nothing spectacular to report. The
general public do not, perhaps, sufficiently recognise that
effective official action is only possible with their co-operation
and, although lip-service is often paid to the need for cleaner
food production and handling, there is considerable public
apathy in regard to film shows, lectures, and exhibitions.
This is, however, a long term project in health education and
the up-hill nature of the task does not make it in any way
less worthwhile.
The prevention of accidents in the home is likely to
receive considerable attention in the coming year and will
come to be regarded more and more as an integral part of
preventive medicine. It is just as worthy to prevent the
death of a child from burns as from diphtheria and there is,
here, a fruitful field for the endeavours of the Health Department
in collaboration with the voluntary organisations in
the District. It is too little realised that, in the country as
a whole, there are 5,000 to 6,000 fatalities every year from
home accidents and that 20 per cent of the deaths occur in
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