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BOROUGH OF BRENTFORD AND CHISWICK
Public Health Department,
Town Hall, Chiswick, W.4.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Borough of Brentford and Chiswick.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit a report on the Public Health
and School Medical Services for 1945.
Although the Ministry states that a report on the lines of
those given during the war may be given for this year, I beg to
be allowed to enlarge this Report somewhat, partly for the reason
that there are so many new members on the Council who may not
be fully conversant with our work, and partly because this is the
last Report I shall have the honour of writing and shall therefore
be unable to make a Survey Report when that is required by the
Ministry.
Consequently, the body of this report is an Interim Report
as required by the Ministry and an appendix is added with some
brief notes and tables indicating the effects of the war on our
work.
With regard to the year 1945, conditions became more normal
and work and attendances at clinics improved. I would like to
state here that I am grateful I was allowed to stay on duty for
five years after the usual retiring age, as I have been able to see
conditions returning to their pre-war state. The clinics and social
services had taken many years to develop and there was a period
during the war when it appeared that much of that work was in
danger of being destroyed and wasted.
The increased attendances at the Welfare Clinics brought to
the fore the matter of accommodation in the Chiswick area. This
matter was appreciated keenly during the last years of peace,
when a scheme was formulated and plans were submitted to the
Ministries for a building similar to the Brentford Health Centre.
This had to be shelved owing to the outbreak of war and now
serious consideration must be given to its solution.
The incidence of Infectious Disease is indicated in the tables
shown on pages 24 to 27. Neither Scarlet Fever nor Diphtheria
appeared in epidemic form. Thirty-seven cases of the former and
eight cases of theJatter were notified, and no deaths were recorded
from these diseases. Measles was epidemic during the first
quarter, and five hundred and twenty-five cases were notified
during the year, with one death. There was an outbreak of
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