View report page

2
close co-operation and help of the Doctors of Enfield and the StJohn
Ambulance Brigade.
The magnitude of the task that has been before us will be
appreciated from the fact that I have been required to train in
Anti-Gas and First Aid no less than 1,275 persons ; each of these
individuals must undergo a full course of training and should pass
a requisite examination, after which Units must be formed and
collective training arranged. To direct an organisation containing
a volunteer staff of this size is no easy task.
It is pleasing to record that during the year 1938 the work
of the department was continued and kept up to date, yet all the
work associated with Air Raid Precautions was carried out with
the existing staff.
During 1939 this task has become impossible, and I have had
to divert one of the staff on to Air Raid Precautions work, whilst
in addition the Council has authorised me to appoint a temporary
clerk for a period of 6 months.
It would appear that Air Raid Precautions is overshadowing
these opening remarks in my Annual Report ; my justification is
that it is also overshadowing the work of the department.
The outstanding feature of the vital statistics for 1938 is the
fact that the death rate was 9.15, the lowest recorded since 1923
when it was 8.73 ; the average death rate between 1921 and 1937
was 9.97 per 1,000 population. The number of cases of Scarlet
Fever increased from 161 to 190, Diphtheria cases decreased from
132 to 57.
In connection with Diphtheria, immunisation continues to be
/carried out at the various Clinics and at the Council Offices on
Saturday mornings. The number of children immunised is, however,
low, and I would like to see more parents take advantage of
this successful method of protecting their children from a dangerous
and incapacitating disease.
During the course of the year 2 cases of Parrot Disease or
Psittacosis occurred. They were both Attendants at the London
Zoo and contracted the disease from a consignment of parrots
recently received there. I saw these cases in consultation with
the Doctor in charge. Both patients fortunately recovered and
there was no spread of the infection in the district of Enfield. The
cases were subsequently described in detail in the British Medical
Journal.
Towards the end of the year, acting in accordance with Circular
1705 of the Ministry of Health a Maternal Advisory Committee
was established by the Council. I have referred to this in detail