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BOROUGH OF BRENTFORD AND CHISWICK
PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT,
TOWN HALL, CHISWICK.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Borough of Brentford and Chiswick.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
In accordance with instructions received from the Ministry of
Health, this report for 1940 has been prepared as an interim report
and only essential matters and certain statistics are included. A
careful record of other statistics and relevant matters is being
kept so that after the termination.of the war a comprehensive report
dealing with the whole war period may be issued in order that the
annual records may, as far as practicable, be "Continuous and
complete.
The fact that this Department was responsible to the County
(the Scheme-making Authority) for the Casualty Services of A.R.P.
necessitated a good deal of extra work at high pressure and I am
pleased to record that those members of the. staff who were engaged in
these duties carried out the extra work with enthusiasm. Of course
our most severe time was during the "blitz" on the London area and
many of us had to remaih on duty or call continuously throughout the
24 hours, with only brief intervals for sleep and refreshment, for
something like 94 consecutive days.
During the year the Senior Clerk, Percy Smith, joined the
Pioneer Corps and James Friar the Junior Clerk the R.A.F. in which he
won his "wings" and became a fighter pilot.
Many mothers and children returned from the reception areas so
the M & C.W. work increasedsome schools we re-opened part-time and
there was a measure of. School Medical Service. The Diphtheria
Immunisation Clinic was re-opened in December.
•
As regard the general health of the Borough the most outstanding
feature was the small incidence of infectious disease during the year.
An epidemic of Measles was due, and for a generation it has never
failed to appear each alternate year, but there were only sporadic
cases. This is possibly accounted for by the evacuation of so many
children from crowded areas. This health condition is all the more
remarkable when one considers the "shelter" life taken to by the
people of the London area. The shelters had been designed to be used
for short periods only, but they became dormitories in which all the
fundamental rules of Hygiene seem to have been broken. Many were
overcrowded, inadequately ventilated, without suitable sanitary
accommodation and poorly heated and seemed to be deal for the outbreak
of severe epidemics of Influenza, Cerebro Spinal Fever etc. Mercifully
we were spared these dread happenings but our anxiety remained
intense throughout, as suitable measures to remedy the conditions were
difficult and often impossible to carry out.
I am, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
R.C. LEANING.