View report page

17
that the Council will join with me in the belief that this work has
materially contributed to the satisfactory statistics which this
report shows.
Like every other Medical Officer of Health in the country, I
have been giving continual observation to the possible onset of
deficiency diseases, signs of lack of resistance to infection, debility
or anaemia, in our women and children. At the end of 1941 I was
reasonably satisfied that the health of our women and children
was being safeguarded, but I believe that continued supervision
is very necessary to maintain this level of health.
In many ways the Council has acted as agents for the Ministry
of Food and the Board of Trade.
The Ministry of Food provide milk, both dried and liquid,
free of charge or at reduced cost to ante-natal and nursing mothers
and every child under the age of five years. The distribution of
these products is organised by the local Food Control Office and
the bulk of the certificates required are signed by the Council's
Health Visitors.
There has been little demand in Enfield for the Government's
National Dried Milk. This is due to the confidence which the
mothers in Enfield have in the infant foods they have obtained
via your maternity and child welfare centres. They have preferred
to continue with these foods.
The Ministry of Food has also made available various most
valuable vitamin products for young children which have included
blackcurrant syrup, blackcurrant puree, orange juice and cod liver
oil compound. These products have been largely distributed
through your maternity ard child welfare clinics and in part
tl rough the local Food Control Office.
1 he co-operation between the two departments has been
extremely successful and to the great benefit of the children of
the district.
As the Council will know, clothing coupons to the value of
50 have been made available by the Board of Trade to expectant
mothers as soon as pregnancy is certain. 'Ihese coupons are issued
through the Council's Health Department.
In that there are very few, if any women, who do not desire
to obtain these coupons, the result has been that the Department
has had a more or less complete notification of pregnancy throughout
the year and this has enabled us to extend our ante-natal
services.
The number of coupons issuable was increased to 60 on the
1st June, 1942.
During the course of the year the Ministry of Health called
our attention to the possible increase in conditions of uncleanliness