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was also an increase in the neo-natal and early neo-natal mortality rates
in spite of a lower stillbirth rate. The majority of infant deaths occurred
in infants less than 4 weeks old and were due in the main to congenital
defects and prematurity. Improvements in the care of the mother during
pregnancy have resulted in more live births but some of these children
although liveborn have such a poor hold on life that they do not survive
beyond the neo-natal period. There were no maternal deaths during 1967.
Work on new projects in the development plan for health and welfare
services progressed during the year. The new home for the elderly at
Sancroft Road, Harrow Weald was not completed by the end of the year
but will probably be ready for occupation in the spring of 1968. The new
assessment unit at the Junior Training School was completed by the end of
the year and will be admitting children at the beginning of the new term in
January 1968. Certain difficulties concerning land delayed a start being
made on the new Adult Training Centre and the Day Centre for younger
mentally ill at Marlborough Hill but it is hoped these will be resolved
early in 1968. Subject to the Council reaching agreement with the London
Borough of Brent there are definite hopes that at long last a start may be
made in 1968 on the much needed Children's Reception Home on part of
the land formerly occupied by the old Isolation Hospital in Honeypot
Lane, Queensbury. This new home will be of great value to the children's
services in the Borough. Apart from some slight reorganisation of project
dates, no changes were made in the general 10 year development plan for
the health and welfare services. The question of health centre provision
was discussed generally by the Health and Welfare Committee during the
latter part of the year. It was decided to set up a small sub-committee to
consider the question in detail in consultation with the Middlesex Executive
Council and the Middlesex Local Medical Committee. The Executive
Council undertook to circulate all general practitioners in the district in
order to ascertain their wishes in the matter of health centre provision.
The results of these enquiries are expected to be available early in 1968.
Points of interest from the infectious diseases notified during the year
are the usual biennial rise in the incidence of measles and the increase in
the number of cases of whooping cough. As mentioned in the report for
1966 the department continued to co-operate during the year with the
Central Public Health Laboratory in a special investigation survey to
identify the serotypes responsible for cases of whooping cough—in all
probability the rise in the number of whooping cough cases is due to a
change in the antigenic structure of the epidemic strain organism—the
results of the survey will probably be available in 1968. There was only one
case of enteric fever during the year and this was "imported"! The decline
in the number of cases of tuberculosis noted in 1966 continued in 1967.
During the year two further Smoke Control Orders under the Clean
Air Acts came into operation bringing the total number of dwellings
affected in the Borough up to 34%. Two further orders were confirmed by
the Minister of Housing and Local Government to come into operation
during 1968.