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5
Public Health Department,
Town Hall,
East Ham.
June, 1931.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
County Borough, of East Ham.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to submit my Annual Report on the health and
sanitary circumstances of the Borough, together with my Report
to the Education Authority on the work of the School Medical
Service for 1930.
As requested by the Ministry of Health, this report is more
comprehensive than previous reports in order that more detailed
information may be given.
This is the twentieth report I have had the honour of presenting.
During this twenty years there has been a considerable
increase in the duties—especially of recent years—of a Medical
Officer of Health, and it is only possible to give a brief outline
of important developments.
There has been substantial progress made, especially in
Maternity and Child Welfare, and School Medical Service, but
I must express my disappointment that the progress has been slow
in some respects.
East Ham was one of the pioneers of Maternity and Child
Welfare work, our first Health Visitor being appointed under
the Notification of Births Act, 1907, and after twenty years we
still have no permanent building for clinics.
The same applies in connection with the School Medical
Services. All the clinics are housed in temporary buildings,
which are overcrowded and entirely unsuitable for the purposes.
The Artificial Sunlight Clinic has to be conducted in the same
room as the ordinary clinics, and the benefit that should be
derived from such treatment is largely mitigated.
Although plans for the extension of the Isolation Hospital
were before the Ministry of Health in 1914, I am pleased to be
able to report that the new administration Block and Wards are
now nearing completion.