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3
ANNUAL REPORT
of the
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH, 1947
To the Chairman and Members of the Urban District Council
of Enfield.
I have pleasure in presenting my Annual Report for the year
1947.
The year was a busy one for the Health Department. Work
in connection with housing kept the depleted staff of Sanitary
Inspectors very busy, but much achievement can be reported in
this sphere, not only in endeavouring to maintain satisfactory
standards in house property in general, but also in eliminating a
few properties quite unsuitable for human habitation. At one
period of the year there was a shortage of three Sanitary Inspectors
and at the end of the year there were still two vacancies. This
has had a serious effect on the scope of the work undertaken, and
I am concerned that we have not been able to undertake as much
inspection and supervision under the Food and Drugs Acts and
Regulations as I feel to be necessary. I believe that this aspect
of the work is one of the most important functions of a Health
Department under present day conditions, with the extension of
the habit of feeding outside the home and I believe that in this
sphere there lie great opportunities and responsibilities for the
Health Department.
In regard to infectious diseases, the most serious event was
the markedly increased incidence of poliomyelitis throughout the
country, and Enfield had 18 cases. More detailed information on
these cases is given elsewhere in this Report.
Staffing difficulties, the shortage of Health Visitors in particular,
have again handicapped the more personal Health Services. In
spite of this, it was found possible to provide extra Clinic sessions
to ease the pressure of large attendances, but this again was only
possible at the expense of home visits by the Health Visitors—a
situation which I deprecate, as I have so often stressed the importance
of proper home visiting, in which the Health Visitors can
advise and demonstrate to mothers in their own homes, the various
aspects of child welfare.
For the convenience of mothers attending our Clinics, arrangements
were made for the sale of National Dried Milk at the Clinics.
Difficulties continued to be experienced during the year in securing
adequate supplies of Proprietary Baby Foods.