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5
To the Chairman and Members of the Council.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to present my report on the work of the
Public Health Department for the year 1936. It is
based on the suggestions contained in Circular 1561
issued by the Ministry of Health.
The year under review has again been one of
progress; the services administered by this Department
have continued to expand. It is anticipated that this
process of growth will not reach maturity for some years
to come.
Although strictly not covered by this report, it is
worthy of mention that by having been entrusted by
the Minister of Health with the administration of the
Midwives Acts, this Council is now a complete
autonomous Authority for the purposes of Maternity
and Child Welfare. I take this opportunity of recording
my appreciation of the cordial relations which always
existed between the County and Urban Councils when
the former were the Local Supervising Authority.
The scheme for immunising against Diphtheria
has again achieved good results. More children received
treatment during 1936 than in any year since this
campaign was inaugurated.
The vital statistics compare very favourably with
those for the Country as a whole. The maternal
mortality rate, although higher than that for 1935,
which was exceptionally low, was 2.05 per 1,000 total
births; the rate for England and Wales over the same
period was 3.6.