London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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East Ham 1961

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for East Ham]

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From this table it can be seen quite clearly that cancer of the lung is taking an increasing toll
of mortality, in that the percentage of total deaths from this awful disease has almost doubled in a decade.
Year after year I have inveighed against the habit of cigarette smoking as a direct cause of lung cancer, but
with no avail as shown by the poignant figures here delineated. It is little consolation that my colleagues up
and down the country also have met with no success, but nevertheless I shall pursue the policy of preaching the
"no smoking gospel" in the schools to the younger age groups of boys and girls for I believe that here in spite
of many adverse influences one's words may not all fall on stony soil.
General Practitioners and Ante Natal Care
Following on the recommendations of the Cranbrook Report the Council in their wisdom have
agreed to the general practitioner obstetricians carrying out comprehensive ante natal and post natal supervision
in local authority clinics.
It is too early to assess all the advantages that have accrued as a result of this liaison but there
is no doubt it has resulted in an increasing number of doctors attending on women in their homes during childbirth,
and has stimulated a refreshing revitalization of domiciliary obstetrics which could hardly have been
achieved in any other way.
This is well exemplified in the appended table, from which it can be seen that in 1960 the
doctor was present at the birth in 11% of booked cases, whereas in 1961 this figure had risen to 62%.

It must be a tremendous encouragement to parturient women to know that in addition to the competent midwife present the services of the general practitioner obstetrician are so readily available at home-

19601961
Doctor booked for confinement and attended birth22134
Doctor booked for confinement and did not attend195215
Percentage of booked cases at which doctor was present at the birthapprox. 11%approx. 62%
Total number of domiciliary confinements321356

In the body of the report will be found other interesting statistics of the personal health services
and details of matters pertaining to the public health.
These years have marked steady progress in the forging of links of close working with the other
two bodies under the National Health Service, directed towards one end, a better comprehensive medical
service for the people of East Ham.
Once more I express my sincere thanks to the Chairman and members of the Health Committees
in the years under review, for their patient consideration and constructive criticism of all matters submitted
to them bearing on the public health of the borough, and to my Deputy, Dr. Allen and the Chief Administrative