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14
Quarterly inspections of these Nursing Homes have again been
carried out during the year on behalf of the Essex County Council,
and, generally throughout the District, investigations have been
made in respect of Maternal Deaths, Cases of Puerperal Pyrexia,
Eye Discharges of Infants, and Liability of the Midwives to be a
Source of Infection, etc.
Regarding Puerperal Sepsis, Memo. 226/ Med. was received
during the year, and copies were sent to the General Practitioners
in the District.
3.—INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD.
Meat and Other Foods.
A large proportion of the Sanitary Inspectors' time was again
devoted to the important duty of inspecting meat and other foods at
slaughter-houses, butcher's shops, stalls, etc. During the latter part
of the year a section of the big London wholesale markets of Smithfield
and Billingsgate was decentralised, and Romford was one of the
Regional Centres which was established. This necessitated increased
duties being placed on the Sanitary Inspectors in the way of food inspection.
Later in the year, the Billingsgate section was discontinued,
but the Smithfield section remained.
4.—PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS
AND OTHER DISEASES.
(i) Notifiable Diseases.
There was no increased prevalence of these diseases during the
year.
The Measles and Whooping Cough Regulations, 1939.
On the 23rd October the Measles and Whooping Cough Regulations,
1939, came into operation as a provisional measure, with the
result that, as from that date, both these diseases have been notifiable.
The object is to enable the Department to ascertain readily and
rapidly the incidence of Measles and Whooping Cough, as it may be
affected by the displacement of child population caused by emergency
measures, and the Changes that may have occurred in the geographical
distribution of the infectious diseases.
The intention is that the Regulations will remain in operation
only as long as the special conditions created by the present emergency
continue, and that they shall then be revoked.
A copy of the Regulations was sent to each of the Local Practitioners,
and a public announcement was inserted in the local press,
drawing the attention of the Public to the Regulations.