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5
TO THE MAYOR, ALDERMEN AND COUNCILLORS OF
THE BOROUGH OF LEYTON.
Me. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I submit herewith my Annual Report on the health, sanitary
circumstances and vital statistics of the Borough of Leyton during
the year 1938, together with my Annual Report to the Education
Authority on the work of the school medical service during the
year. These reports are drawn up on the lines required by the
Ministry of Health and the Board of Education.
Since the Great War there has been a fundamental change in
the duties and responsibilities of a Public Health Department.
Prior to 1914 the local Health Authority was concerned almost
exclusively with environmental hygiene and preventive medicine.
Since that time the Health Authority has organised a most comprehensive
scheme of medical services designed to maintain individual
health ; and the detachment between preventive and
curative medicine is fast disappearing. The wide and comprehensive
range of modern public health activities may be judged by
reference to the number of medical subjects dealt with in this
Report.
There are, however, many activities of the Public Health
Department which are not included in this Annual Report, e.g.,
the duties and responsibilities placed on the Public Health Department
by the provisions of the Air Raid Precautions Act, 1937.
During the year under review the administrative and clerical
staff have been actively engaged in the initiation of schemes for
the organisation of A.R.P. Casualty Services to be put into operation
in the event of war. This work is of a kind absolutely foreign
to the previously accepted scope of a public health department
and to the duties for which the members of the department have
been trained. The organisation of A.R.P. Casualty Services is a
formidable undertaking, and it is with sincere thanks that I record
my appreciation of the loyal and industrious co-operation of the
staff.
I have the honour to be,
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,