HES 26 Borough of Heston and Isleworth ANNUAL REPORT Of THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH FOR THE Borough of Heston and Isleworth 1939 1 Public Health Department , 92 Bath Road, HOUNSLOW. To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of Heston and Isleworth. , Lady and Gentlemen, I beg to submit my Annual Report on the work of the Health Department for the year 1939. In accordance with Circular 2067 issued on 19th July, 1940, by the Ministry of Health, the report is type-written and is presented largely in the form of a tabulated summary with the corresponding details for 1938 shown for purposes of comparison. The issue of the report has been delayed till certain statistical information was received from the Registrar-General. All necessary records have been kept so that a fuller report could be made at a later date if necessary. Throughout the year the general health of the inhabitants compared favourably with previous years and since the outbreak of war every effort has been made to maintain the various services. Civil defence measures threw a heavy burden on the Department. A record of the work done has been made but in view of the delay in presenting this report, little purpose would be served in describing or commenting on what was done during 1939. Only by the cheerful acceptance of much additional work and the sacrifice of their leisure have the staff been able to keep the normal services functioning and yet deal with civil defence and to them all credit is due. For their willing assistance I am especially grateful. I desire to express my thanks to the Chairmen and Members of the Committees for their support and to the officials of other departments for their co-operation. I remain, Your obedient servant , A. ANDERSON. Medical Officer of Health; 1. GENERAL STATISTICS. 1939. 1938. Population (Registrar-General's estimate), (a) for birth rate calculation. 102,000 101,500 (b) for death rate calculation 101,100 101,500 Number of inhabited housea (rate-books). 27,389 27,417 Number of houses erected during year. 278 717 Rateable value of Borough. £912,965 £890,864 Sum represented by a penny rate. £3,652 £3,488 Live Births - legitimate - male. 778 712 -female . 702 690 -illegitimate - male. 21 17 -female. 21 20 Birth Rate per 1,000 population. 14.92 14.18 Birth Rate per 1,000 population (England and Wales). 15.0 15.1 Still Births-legitimate - male. 25 21 -female. 19 22 -illegitimate-male. - 2 -female. - - Still Birth Rate per 1,000 (live and still) births. 25.62 30.32 Deaths - male. 447 453 -female. 448 423 Death Rate per 1,000 population. 8.85 8.60 Death Rate per 1,000 population X Comparability Factor. 9.25 9.00 Death Rate per 1,000 population (England and Wales ). 12.1 11.6 Infant Mortality Rate . 49.9 45.86 Infant Mortality Rate (England and Wales). 50 53 Maternal Mortality Rate. 3.38 2.70 Maternal Mortality Rate (England and Wales). 2.82 2.97 Out-relief disbursed to Heston and Isleworth residents. £23,077 £20,830 2. GENERAL PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES. No change in the general provision of health services was made during 1939. On the outbreak of war all the activities of the Health Department with the exception of the municipal domiciliary midwifery service were stopped or reduced to a minimum and the energies of the staff concentrated on civil defence measures. As soon as circumstances permitted the various services were restored wholly or in part and the progress made up to the end of the year is shown below:- Sale of dried milk and the provision of free milk concentrated at Hounslow Health Centre pending the re-opening of infant welfare centres, 4th September. Sanitary inspection, etc., 11th September. Ante - natal clinics at Hounslow and Isleworth, 18th September. Dental clinics at Hounslow and Isleworth, 25th September. Diphtheria immunisation clinics at Hounslow and Isleworth, 28th September. Refraction clinics at Hounslow and Isleworth, 9th October. Two infant welfare clinics per week at Hounslow, Isleworth and Cranford, 2 0th October. Two infant welfare clinics per week at Heston, 21st November. The various services were not fully restored till February, 1940. 1939 1938 Laboratory facilities - specimens examined. 1,318 1,422 District Nursing - visits paid. 27,259 25,834 Infant Welfare Centres - no. of sessions. 545 668 -attendances, (a) under 1 year. 16,104 22 ,849 (b) 1-5 years. 15 ,884 22 ,330 (c) all ages. 31,988 45,179 Ante-natal and Post-natal Clinics. Routine clinics - sessions. 186 150 -attendances. 2,683 3,382 Consultant clinics - sessions. 48 - -attendances, 686 - Total attendances. 3 ,369 3,382 Artificial Sunlight Clinic - children treated. 28 14 Orthopaedic Treatment - children treated. 9 8 3.  1939 1938 Refraction Clinic - children examined. 50 25 Minor Ailments Clinic - children treated. 51 20 Midwives - number notifying intention to practice. 26 28 -cases attended as midwife. 532 513 -cases attended as maternity nurse. 297 253 -percentage of cases where medical aid summoned. 36 29 -fees paid to medical practitioners. £211 £156 -certificates surrendered during year. 2 1 -compensation paid. £1149 £104 Municipal Domiciliary Midwifery Service. No. of municipal midwives. 8 8 No. of cases booked - as midwife. 584 496 -as maternity nurse. 96 82 No. of cases completed - as midwife. 500 409 -as maternity nurse. 77 75 No. of visits - ante-natal. 2 ,856 2,766 -post-natal. 10,455 8,658 Home Helps - no. of cases where home help provided. 54 58 Convalescent Homes - no, of mothers sent, - 4 -no. of children sent. 6 6 Health Visitors - no employed. 12 12 -attendances at M & C.W. clinics etc. 1,060 1,400 -visits to mothers and children. 8 ,803 10,345 Child Life Protection. No. of foster children on register. 59 62 No. of visits by Health Visitors. 421 663 Dental Treatment of Mothers and Children. Total attendances of mothers and children. 3,721 3 ,776 No. of extractions - mothers. 1,780 1,890 -children,. 748 1,020 No. of fillings - mothers. 565 480 -children. 181 284 No. of dentures supplied to mothers. 249 237 4.  1939 1938 Milk and Other Foods Supplied Free or at Reduced Cost. Pasteurized milk (gallons). 11,477 11,943 Dried milk (lbs.). 2 ,059 2 .830 Virol (lbs.). 99 303 Cod liver oil (4 oz.). 175 - Cod liver oil emulsion ( 8 oz.). 370 1,120 Cod liver oil and malt (lbs.). 561 1,129 Lactagol (tins). 149 239 Bemax (tins ). 55 214 Adoxolin (½ oz.) . 190 688 Kalzana (tablets). 3,970 1,790 The sale of these various items at cost price also showed a considerable decline in 1939 as compared with the previous year. Nursing Homes. No. registered at end of year, nursing homes. 3 3 -maternity homes. 1 1 -nurs ing and maternity homes. 1 1 Superannuation Acts. No. of employees examined. 55 59 SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE AREA. There was no significant change in the sanitary circumstances of the area as compared with 1938. The work of the sanitary inspectors continued as in previous years but was subject to considerable interruption after the outbreak of war. A summary of the work of the inspectors in regard to general sanitation is given below 1939 1938 Visits re complaint or remedy of nuisances. 9,419 7,577 Inspections of piggeries. 53 102 Inspections of stables. 215 194 Inspections of urinals. 24 51 Visits re infectious disease. 561 911 5.  1939 1938 Smoke obse rvations. 255 352 Inspections re offensive trades. 129 140 Inspections of tents, vans and sheds. 103 97 Inspections of common lodging houses. 17 11 Inspections of shops re sanitary arrangements. 38 71 Inspections of factories, workplaces, etc. 836 1057 Houses disinfested. 39 122 Inspections of canal boats. 63 85 HOUSING. 1939 1938 No. of new houses erected - by private enterprise. 278 637 -by local authority. - 80 No. of houses inspected for housing defects. 478 526 No. of houses found unfit for human habitation. 74 97 No. of houses rendered fit by informal action. 247 310 No. of houses rendered fit by formal action. 27 24 No. of houses demolished in pursuance of Demolition Orders. 43 74 No. of houses rendered fit in pursuance of undertaking. 12 15 No. of houses where undertaking not to re-let accepted. 21 33 No. of underground rooms closed. 2 1 No. of houses known to be overcrowded at end of year. 69 105 No. of new cases of overcrowding found during year. 5 17 No. of cases of over crowding relieved during year. 41 258 No, of houses demolished voluntarily. 14 22 INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD. 1939 1938 Inspections of dairies etc. 576 620 Inspections of ice cream premises. 534 465 Inspections of bakehouses. 198 205 Inspections of slaughterhouses, 473 472 6.  1939 1938 Inspections of premises where food is sold or manufactured, -meat. 1,009 1,058 -fish. 194 213 -provisions. 80 73 -greengrocery and fruit. 158 230 -hawkers. 115 44 -food preparation. 498 451 -other foods. 43 76 Unsound food seized or surrendered (lbs.). 3,764 3,573 PREVALENCE OF INFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES. 1939 1938 Cases Notified. Deaths. Cases Notified. Deaths. Smallpox. - - - - Scarlet fever. 175 - 314 - Diphtheria. 51 5 40 2 Erysipelas. 23 - 43 - Pneumonia. 142 35 159 36 Cerebro-spinal fever. 6 - 8 5 Epidemic encephalitis. - 2 1 - Poliomyelitis and polioencephalitis . - - 3 1 Typhoid and paratyphoid fevers. 3 - 4 - Dysentery. 1 - 2 - Tuberculosis. 125 69 113 58 Ophthalmia Neonatorum. 4 - 10 - Puerperal pyrexia. 61 - 66 2 Non-notifiable Infectious Diseases. 1939 ] Measles. 50 861 German Measles. 493 45 Chicken pox. 490 512 Mumps. 145 35 Whooping cough. 391 300 7.  1939 1938 Disinfection - no. of rooms disinfected. 296 523 Hospital Treatment of Infectious Diseases. Total cases treated in hospitals. 410 634 Heston Airport. Visits by Medical Officers. 160 20 Planes inspected. 144 20 Passengers inspected. 1,757 111 Passengers examined - aliens. 655 2 - others. 2 - Passengers placed under surveillance. 4 05 5 Diphtheria Immunisation. No. of attendances at clinics. 6,367 6,247 No. given certificates after immunising. 874 824 No. submitted to primary Schick test. 838 1,196 -Schick positive. 783 1,097 -Schick negative. 55 99 No. of cases of diphtheria in immunised persons. - 1 No. of deaths from diphtheria in Immunised persons. - - TABLE OF CAUSES OP DEATHS DURING 1939. Causes of Death. Civil Residents all ages. All causes Male. Female. 447 448 1 Typhoid and paratyphoid fever - - 2 Measles - - 3 Scarlet fever - - 4 Whooping cough - 2 5 Diphtheria 2 3 6 Influenza 3 7 7 Encephalitis lethargica 1 1 8 Cerebro-spinal fever - - 9 Tuberculosis of respiratory system 35 27 10 Other tuberculosis 3 4 11 Syphilis 3 2 12 General Paralysis of the Insane, Tabes Dorsalis 1 2 13 Cancer 70 62 14 Diabetes 2 11 15 Cerebral haemorrhage, &c. 16 28 16 Heart diseases 124 117 17 Aneurysm 2 2 18 Other circulatory diseases 33 24 8. Table of Causes of Deaths during 1939. (Continued) Causes of Death. Civil Residents all ages. Male. Female. 19 Bronchitis 11 10 20 Pneumonia (all forms) 19 16 21 Other respiratory diseases 3 5 22 Peptic ulcer 5 1 23 Diarrhoea under 2 yrs. 3 4 24 Appendicitis 4 3 25 Cirrhosis of liver 1 7 26 Other liver diseases 1 2 27 Other digestive diseases 6 10 28 Acute & chronic nephritis 6 8 29 Puerperal sepsis - - 30 Other puerperal diseases - 5 31 Congenital debility, Premature birth, &c. 26 14 32 Senility 7 26 33 Suicide 7 5 34 Other violence 27 13 35 Other defined diseases 25 27 36 Ill defined or Unknown - - Diarrhoea 2 yrs. & over 1 - According to figures furnished by the Registrar-General. 1