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14
(v) Inspection of Nursing Homes, Etc.
Three Nursing Homes in the District are Registered by the
Essex County Council under Section 187 of the Public Health Act,
1936. One of these is Registered for the reception of 5 Maternity
or Medical Patients, and an annex is Registered for 5 Maternity
Patients. Another is Registered for 2 Maternity Patients, and the
third is Registered for 5 Medical, Surgical, or Chronic Patients,
and 1 Maternity Patient.
Quarterly inspections of these Nursing Homes have been carried
out on behalf of the Essex County Council as hitherto, 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 Source of
Infection, etc.
(vi) Consultant.
During the year, the Council appointed Mr. H. G. Everard
Williams, M.D., F.R.C.O.G., of 79 Harley Street, London, as part
time Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist under the
Puerperal Pyrexia Regulations, 1939, and also to be available in
cases where a practitioner should require additional assistance for
difficulties or complications arising during pregnancy, or at, or
after confinement.
3.—INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD.
Meat and Other Foods.
The Sanitary Inspectors have again had to devote a considerable
amount of time to the inspection of meat and other foods at the
Regional Slaughterhouse, the Meat Depot, Butchers' Shops, Stalls,
etc. Altogether 656 visits were paid. At the Slaughterhouse alone
31,909 carcases were inspected.
4.—PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS
AND OTHER DISEASES.
(i) Notifiable Diseases.
There was no increased prevalence of these diseases during the
year, but special mention is made below of a slight increase in the
incidence of Cerebro-Spinal Fever and Enteric Fever.
(a) Cerebro-Spinal Fever.
This disease was prevalent throughout the Country at the
beginning of the year, and, although 7 cases occurred in Romford at
this time, the condition did not gain a foothold and assume epidemic
proportions. Nevertheless, 3 cases contracted the disease in
fulminant form, with fatal results within 24 or 48 hours of onset.