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recovered after treatment in hospital. Scarlet Fever has been
widespread but unusually mild in symptoms and complications.
Coincident with the fall in severity of Scarlet Fever and
Diphtheria there has been a like fall in severity of Measles and
Whooping Cough.
There were four cases of Poliomyelitis and two deaths—the
tail end of the epidemic of 1947. The report on the Typhoid
case which occurs in the body of the report is worthy of notice.
The death rate of infants remained low at 20.15. There was
also a low death rate of 9.9 and a falling birth rate of 16.4 compared
with the immediately preceding years.
The fact that nearly 12 per cent, of your population are ot
pensionable age brings with it the problems of the care of the
aged, problems which will become more acute as the years pass.
On this matter, one must record a word of praise to the excellent
work of the W.V.S. and other voluntary agencies in the establishment
of homes for aged in Bromley.
Included in this report, is the report on the School Health
Service, Bromley being an excepted area under the Education
Act. It is in this age group that you have the only direct administrative
contact with the family health, excepting of course,
the environmental service which applies to the population as a
whole. The details of these latter services occupy the main body
of the report. This branch of work of the Health Department
is fundamental in the development of social medicine. There
is thus a wide horizon in the field of work of a Medical Officer
of Health and his staff provided he is given the means and
facilities to carry out survey of all factors affecting the health
and well being of the population at all ages. The services that
are now left to you may not be spectacular, but they permit of
more time being given to the real work of Preventive Medicine.
Again I would wish to record my appreciation to each member
of the Health Department, and especially to Mr. Woods, the
Sanitary Inspectors, and to Mr. Judd, the Chief Clerk, for their
help in compiling this report and for their diligent application
to the work of Public Health throughout the year.
I am,
Your obedient Servant,
K. E. TAPPER,
Medical Officer of Health.