View report page

3
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of
Dagenham.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I submit herewith my report on the health of Dagenham for
the year 1949. One fact deserving of special note is that there
were no maternal deaths, which is truly remarkable bearing in
mind the fact that there were slightly less than 2,000 confinements
which took p'.ace. This is the only occasion that it has been
possible to record such a success in Dagenham with the one exception
of the year 1926 when the population was less than 38,000.
A point of special interest is that for the first time on record
no cases of Diphtheria occurred. It is appropriate here to express
an appreciation of the co-operation of the parents with the
immunisation scheme which, it may be remembered, was instituted
in Dagenham as far back as 1930, Dagenham being one of the first
Local Authorities to put into operation a systematic service of
immunisation.
The birth rate was 17.14 which is less than that for the 126
large towns, the figure for which was 18.7.
It will be seen under the section of the report dealing
with Health Visitors, that there is an item 427 "other visits"; these
visits were occasioned by additional duties entrusted to Health
Visitors under the provisions of the National Health Service Act.
Much of the report deals with services which are now administered
by the Local Health Authority through the Area Health
Sub-Committee and the officers now under the local contro! of
that Sub-Committee. With the object of making the report informative,
the services affecting the health of the Borough are touched
upon without discriminating between the Authorities ultimately
responsible for them.
CLEAN FOOD CAMPAIGN.
Efforts have been, and are made wherever
opportunity occurs, to instil the principles
of food hygiene into the minds of everyone,
especially those whose occupation is the preparation and
distribution of food.
One frequently hears of the horror evinced by customers in
public houses and restaurants when they detect lipstick on glasses
°r teacups. Their indignation is directed towards the users of
the lipstick, quite unjustly in my opinion. These ladies, unwittmgly,
confer a benefit on their fellow customers inasmuch as the
proprietors, forced by public opinion (and indignation !) are
compelled to cleanse their utensils properly.