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4.
of 2¾ years (not immunised). All other I. D. was small and light, including
only 4 people with food poisoning, who, even 3o, obtained the offending
food outside the Borough.
Your Sanitary Inspectors have had a very busy year and, in addition to
coping with the extra visits entailed by relieving the L.C.C. Health
Visitors of all their infectious disease visiting, have maintained their
close watch on defects of every kind, as well as doing more than 3,000
routine visits under Section 5 of the Housing Act, 1936, to try and prevent
property from deteriorating unobserved Their work will be further
extended by the Rag Flock and Other Filling Materials Act, 1951, which has
led to a registration of 105 premises where these materials are used, and
to licensing of 15 premises where manufactured or stored.
The Rodent section has again done good work, and the numbers of rats
killed in sewers and business premises have again been reduced in an
astounding manner, although the kills effected in dwelling houses (still
under 250 in all, as opposed to 7 000 otherwise) have increased.
On the subject of the anti-fly campaign, I might add that so effective
is the 'Gammexane' that even during screening of the refuse no very objectionable
odour was noticeable, and the sight of a maggot in the Cleansing Depot
is unknown.(The Department sells scented D.D.T. for private chutes by request,
but prefers gammexane in bins as encouraging lids being kept tight).
The Borough's Welfare Services received a sad blow-in the tragic death
of Miss Cathcart who devoted the whole of the latter years of her life to
this cause - not merely office hours. But we are fortunate to have still
with us Mrs, Adams who is imbued with Miss Cathcart's methods, and will be
a worthy successor, I feel sure. Our other more-than-full-time worker in
this field –Miss Morrell - is due to retire this year, so that complete
reorganisation will be necessary during 1952, even in the Council's Holiday
Home, as well as in the Borough itself. Whereas in the past we have had
3 members of the staff spending a part of their time in visiting the old age
pensioners, we hope to have one member doing this work full-time, so that
she can keep a more personal touch - especially as we have realised what
awful gaps would exist in this help if Borough Council employees did not
visit. Many lives have been saved, and much misery avoided, as well as many
hospital beds being left available for acute cases by this magnificent aid.
This change in staffing should avoid the toil of trying to work both at
Copthorne and in Shoreditch as Mis 3 Morrell has done.
Finally, Mr. Mayor, I would like to thank you personally for your
interest in the work of this Department as well as to thank many members of
the Council and especially of the Health and Welfare Committees for their
unfailing courtesy and help. To the staff of this Department and also to my
follow officers in other sections of Local Government in Shoreditch and
elsewhere, I wish to express deep gratitude.
Yours faithfully,
B, BR0ADBENT,
Medical Officer of Health-