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9
the reduction in the mortality of I he diseases they treat. Severe
diphtheria is still a very fatal disease in a child untreated by
antitoxin. Even a moderately severe case of diphtheria requires
the constant attendance of a nurse trained in infectious diseases
if the patient is to have the best chance of recovery.
It is, therefore, most satisfactory to note the large percentage
of cases of diphtheria occurring in the district which are treated
in the Ilford Isolation Hospital, and the low mortality last year.
Scarlet Fever is a less fatal disease than it was years ago.
It should be obvious, however, that a child stands a better chance
of treatment in a modern Isolation Hospital than in a small
crowded house. The complications of Scarlet Fever when they
occur are severe and may handicap a child through life.
The work at the Isolation Hospital in Ilford has been so
carried out that the Hospital is more popular than ever before,
and a higher percentage of notified cases of infectious disease
admitted than has ever previously been recorded.
With reference to other Public Health work, I would point
out that the new Milk Orders have not met with any marked
success. Only one milk vendor with premises in Ilford has been
licensed to sell Pasteurised Milk. The same vendor has also been
licensed to sell Grade "A" and Certified Milk—other vendors
have licences to sell Certified Milk.
The present price of Certified Milk piaces it beyond the
reach of most consumers, while Grade "A" and Pasteurised Milk
can be obtained at 1d. a quart over the market price of ordinary
milk.
It does not appear that there will be much improvement in
the bacterial cleanliness of milk generally until a standard is
fixed below which no milk must be retailed at all. At the same
time legislation is necessary to ensure that if milk is
pasteurised it must be sold as such, and the pasteurisation must
be carried out by an approved process. Much milk sold at the
present time is pasteurised, more or less efficiently, with the simple
commercial object of making it keep a few hours longer.
The newspaper scare as to the retail of tinned meats from
army dumps has been gone into with some thoroughness in IlfordAs
will be seen from the report, 80 visits were paid, and the
various grocers. stocks inspected. There was no basis as far as
Ilford was concerned for any such scare. The visits of inspection
have, however, served a desirable purpose in impressing on
the retailers the necessity of not dealing in any stock of doubtful
quality. One prosecution was instituted, and the defendant fined
£5 and £5 5s. costs.
The administration of the Housing and Town Planning Acts
cannot be said to be satisfactory. With the present dearth of
houses it is impossible to proceed to the extreme measure of
closure which would be adopted in ordinary times.