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2
REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER
OF HEALTH.
To the Chairman and Members of the Urban District Council
of Harrow.
Mr. Chairman, Mrs. Leech and Gentlemen,
I beg to submit the Annual Report on the Health and Sanitary
Circumstances of the District for the year 1939.
In accordance with their usual practice, the Ministry of Health
issued a circular, though not this time until the February of this
year, as to the contents and arrangement of the Annual Report of
the Medical Officer of Health, the general form of report following
very largely on that for previous years. In July, however, a further
circular was issued by the Ministry in which it was suggested that,
because of the increased pressure of work in public health departments,
and also with a view to economy of paper—the relative
importance of these two factors not being intimated—that that
issued for 1939 should be an interim report only, being confined to
essential and urgent matters which have affected the public health
during the year. As, however, for the most of the year, apart from
interruptions by all raid precautions preparations, the normal health
services were in being, and as the biggest changes in the services to
arise from the war will, it is expected, have occurred round about
the beginning of the war, it was felt that it would be preferable to
record the 1939 occurrences in the more usual form, even though
the reports for subsequent years are to be of a different pattern.
One of the immediate effects of the outbreak of hostilities was
the loss to the department of the services of several members
committed to service in His Majesty's Forces. Some left immediately,
others later, but by the end of the year the staff involved
included one of the assistant medical officers, the superintendent
midwife, one of the health visitors, the chief clerk, and three
assistants to the sanitary inspectors. Apart from these we had
already lost the service of one of the sanitary inspectors
seconded for A.R.P. duty, while the Shops Act inspector was
seconded for duty in the Food Office. Another of the assistant
medical officers resigned shortly after the outbreak of hostilities
and could not be replaced until the new year.
The section most seriously affected by the withdrawal of
service of the personnel is that of the sanitary inspectors. To
such an extent is the shortage felt that of course a serious curtailment
in service has had to be effected. With the reduced staff it
is just simply not possible to help people to the extent that they