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PREFACE.
To the Chairman and Members of the
Merton and Morden Urban District Council.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Since my last full report to you on the health of the district
and the work of the Department for the year 1939, the Minister
of Health has directed that for reasons of National Security
full statistical information should not be presented in these
annual reports. Any figures should be regarded as confidential.
This report, therefore, is a summary of the health
conditions in the district since the last report up to the end of
the year 1942 as the figures for that year are now available.
It is the custom in the introduction to their annual reports
for Medical Officers to pay tribute to the contribution of
members of the Public Health Staff, and I have pleasure in
recording my appreciation of the value of their efforts in
securing that an efficient and unrestricted service has been
maintained throughout this difficult period. As however these
reports may be of historical interest to future Public Health
Officers, it would not be right to omit reference to the greatly
increased difficulties that the withdrawal of permanent staff
into the Armed Forces has caused.
R. J. Mitton joined the Forces on April, 1940;
B. J. Fentiman joined the Forces on 15th October, 1941;
A. A. Makepeace, after initiating a Temporary Chief Clerk
into his duties was called up on the 30th April, 1942.
At the time of writing this report the temporary Chief
Clerk who took on Mr. Makepeace's duties has in turn left
the Department.
In spite of these and many other serious difficulties, the
scope of the Public Health activities has been largely increased ;
and in many ways as a direct result of war conditions.
The collection of considerable numbers of the population
in Public Shelters including the South Wimbledon Tube Shelter
demanded Public Health supervision, and the effect of damage
to water mains, main sewers, and to dwelling-houses provided
an active period for the Staff of the Department.
On the general public health side, during this period a
great increase in the number of children immunised against
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