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4
ANNUAL REPORT
of the
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH, 1952
To the Chairman and Members of the Urban District Council of
Enfield.
I have pleasure in presenting my Annual Report for 1952.
Housing still remains a major public health matter and last
year I said that further action in regard to demolitions and clearance
orders would become necessary in the near future. During the
year preliminary action was taken with regard to some of the more
insanitary properties, and this involved a total of 44 houses, thirty
of which were in a Clearance Area.
Apart from action in securing that houses not fit for habitation
are not occupied, a large proportion of the work of the Department
has been devoted to ensuring that premises are maintained in a
reasonably good state and to take such steps as are possible under
present conditions to alleviate overcrowding.
The problem of Clean and Safe Food continued to be given
close attention during the year. A Clean Food Campaign was held
in May. This was a less extensive campaign than that of the
previous year but it did succeed in renewing the impetus given to
the subject the previous year and steady progress has been maintained
in effecting practical improvements in all types of establishments.
This year again the most prevalent infectious disease was
Measles. Notifications became numerous in September and the
incidence rose sharply in succeeding months and continued throughout
the Winter. Scarlet Fever was more prevalent than during
the previous year but Whooping Cough notifications remained
stationary. The mild type of Dysentery which had been more
widespread than usual the previous year continued until April,
after which month few notifications were received, and there were
few cases of food poisoning. Unfortunately there were 16 cases
of Poliomyelitis of varying degrees of severity and these are referred
to elsewhere in my report. It is gratifying to report for the fourth