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intervening year did not fall to the former low level, suggests that the
country might never again be as free from this infection as it was before
the 1947 invasion. Under the heading of food, further information is
given of the development of the campaign for raising the standard of
the cleanliness of food. A lot of spade work has been done and although
there was nothing, even by the end of 1949, to show that progress had
been made, it was felt by those intimately concerned with the campaign
that everything by then was set for the real launching of the campaign
in 1950. In the chapter relating to infectious diseases, reference is made
to the rising numbers of notifications of those suffering from tuberculosis
and to the increasing numbers of those on the register. Possible explanations
for this are discussed and the conclusion reached was that these
larger figures do not indicate that there is a worsening of the situation
in regard to the prevalence of tuberculosis in this district. The position
in regard to the housing of those sections of the population which are
the special concern of those in this department, are analysed. It will be
seen that most of those living in condemned property have been rehoused
and that the families in which there is a member suffering from
tuberculosis, whose needs to be rehoused were greatest, have been given
this other accommodation. In regard to this special group of families,
those now most needing to be helped are not those in which the family
containing the tuberculosis patient needs to be rehoused, but other
families living in that house and causing the overcrowding.
It is possible once more to record that the general standard of
healthiness of the district was high. The only serious outbreak was
that of poliomyelitis, the invasion being part of the attack to which
the whole country was subjected. The state of health of the country,
in general, was good and the vital statistics satisfactory, but the figures
for this district were mostly an improvement on those of the country
as a whole. The infant mortality rate of 20.7 is particularly gratifying.
It is not so many years ago that a figure of 40 was suggested as an
irreducible minimum. Further reduction on such a low rate must,
of course, be slow but undoubtedly will take place. The local infectious
rates were lower than the corresponding rates for the country as a whole.
After a period of nearly two years' freedom from this infection a local
resident suffered from diphtheria, although the attack was only of the
nasal type.
I have the honour to be,
Your obedient servant,
CARYL THOMAS,
Medical Officer of Health.
Council Offices,
"Cottesmore,"
Uxbridge Road,
June 29th, 1950.