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Public Health Department,
White Hart Lane (Old) School
Wood Green N 22
July 1957
To The MAYOR ALDERMEN and COUNCILLORS
cf the BOROUGH OF WOOD GREEN
Mr Mayor Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to present the Annual Report of the Medical Officer
of Health for the year J956
1 should like to use this introduction to my Annual Report
for what might be described as a somewhat unusual although very
pleasant purpose It so happens that 1956 was a memorable year in
the health history of Wood Green Fifty years ago in 1906- the
Urban District Council of Wood Green recognised that the Public
Health Department was no longei in its infancy but could now be
regarded as at least a sturdy growing child A Health and Sanitary
Committee was appointed for the first time at the Annual Meeting
of the Council in April 1906 the Committee being set up to deal
especially with matters intimately connected with the work carried
out by the Public Health Department The Department was given
more commodious offices and was "placed in direct telephonic
connection with the Exchange thus obviating the delay that prevailed
in dealing with the speecty removal of infectious cases as
well as a great convenience to persons having business with the
Department" The above quotation, taken from the Report of Mr
A C Adams, Sanitary Inspector,, will perhaps give some slight
indication of the changes which were taking place
1 thought it mignt be both useful and salutary to compare
the vital statistics produced for the year 1906, with those appertaining
to 1956 In order to make the comparison even clearer I
have extracted statistics appearing in the Medical Officer of
Health's Annual Report for 1931 the year which might be described
as the half-way stage exactly 25 years ago In 1931 my predecessor.
Dr Malcolm Manson.had been in Wood Green for approximately
two years, and, although the statistics quoted cannot possibly
indicate the value of Dr Manson's impact on the public health
of the Borough they may give some indication of the forward steps
which had been and were then being taken
It would be quite ridiculous, of course to claim that the
improvements shown by the vital statistics applicable to Wood Green
were peculiar to our Borough, or that the Medical Officer of Health
of 1956 is in any way superior to his predecessors That is the
last impression I would like to leave with the Council The for
ward march of public health has been nation- wide It can at least
be said, however that for many years Wood Green pioneered numer
ous advances in Public Health, and that it piayed its part; indeed
more than its part: in the improvements which have been such a
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