View report page

12
The work which these extensions has entailed for the Committees
concerned and the staff of the Department in furnishing
the extensions may be gathered from the fact that for the furnishing
of the Hospital extensions, 43 firms tendered for 240 items, while
for the Maternity Home extensions, 63 firms tendered for 424 items.
It will be noted that the wave of infectious disease has been
on the decline, the number of notifications of cases of scarlet fever
and diphtheria having considerably diminished.
It will be observed that acute rheumatism in persons under
16 years of age has now been made a notifiable disease, and it is
hoped that this will enable the disease to be dealt with at such an
early stage that the heavy toll in deaths which has resulted from
its sequela (organic heart disease in the child and young adult) will
be further reduced.
I pointed out in my last Report that the regular examination
of cows by Veterinary Inspectors, which had been introduced by
the Essex County Council, might be expected to have satisfactory
results and it will be noted that in llford alone, which has but few
dairy farms, six tuberculous cows were discovered as a result of
these inspections.
I wish again to thank the Members of the Council for their
support, and 1 have the honour to be,
Your obedient Servant,
A. H. G. BURTON,
Medical Officer of Health.