HORNC 10 Hornchurch Urban District Council INTERIM REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER \ OF HEALTH 1941 ALFRED BALL, M.D., D.P.H., Medical Officer of Health. W. & W. Ltd., Romford. 2 MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. Councillor Mrs. F. Sherring, J.P., Chairman. (1) and (2) Councillor T. F. Willoughby, Vice-Chairman. (2) Councillor Mrs. E. M. Field. (2) „ Mrs. A. J. E. King. „ Mrs. R. J. Reynolds. (2) „ Mrs. C. M. Stevens. „ Mrs. H. S. E. Williams. (1) „ O. P. W. Ashdown. „ 0. S. Biggs. (1) „ W. G. Bunch. (1) and (2) „ E. W. J. W. Bush. (1) and (2) „ A. C. Holmes. „ H. Holock. (1) „ A. S. Hulkes. (3) „ W. H. F. Maunder. (1) „ A. W. Pettit. (1) „ A. C. Salinger. (1) „ B. L. Tarr. „ A. J. Twigger. „ H. H. Wake, J.P. „ W. H. F. Webb. (1) Member of the Public Health and Housing Committee. (2) Member of the Romford Joint Hospital Board. (3) Chairman of the Public Health and Housing Committee. OFFICERS OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT. Medical Officer of Health: Alfred Ball, M.D., B.S. (Lond.), M.R.C.S. (Eng.), L.R.C.P. (Lond.), D.P.H. (R.C.P.S.) Lond. Sanitary Inspectors: L. Ager, San. Insp. Cert. R.S.I. Cert. Insp. of Meat and Other Foods. A. V. J. Hutchings, San. Insp. Cert. R.S.I, and S.I. Joint Board. Cert. Insp. of Meat and Other Foods. D. H. Smith, San. Insp. Cert. R.S.I, and S.I. Joint Board. Cert. Insp. of Meat and Other Foods. E. Ellerington, San. Isp. Cert. R.S.I, and S. I. Joint Board. Cert. Inspector of Meat and Other Foods. Clerk: *J. Blay. F. W. Rushmer (Temp.). On War Service. 3 COUNCIL OFFICES, HORNCHURCH, 14th November, 1942. To the Chairman and Members of the Hornchurch Urban District Council. Madam Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, The report for the year 1941, herewith presented is drawn up in abbreviated form in accordance with the suggestions contained in Ministry of Health Circular 2604. Fuller records including the statistics supplied by the RegistrarGeneral will be preserved in order that after the war a report may be made dealing with the period from the beginning of 1939 to the end of the last complete year. I wish to thank the members of the Council for the support which they have given me in my work and also to acknowledge the assistance which I have received from the staff of the Public Health Department and from my fellow officers. ALFRED BALL, M.D., D.P.H., Medical Officer of Health. 4 SECTION A. STATISTICS AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF THE AREA. Area in acres 19,768 Number of inhabited houses (end of 1941) according to Rate Books 25,601 Rateable Value (September,1941) £674,237 Sum represented by a Penny Rate (March, 1941) £2,553 Social Conditions. Much of the district is residential and many of the inhabitants travel daily to work in other areas. There are, however, still large portions of the district in which agriculture is the main industry and in addition there are industrial undertakings giving occupation to many persons. There are no conditions of occupation or environment which have had a prejudicial effect on health. Vital Statistics. Extracts from the Vital Statistics of the year. Male. Female. Total Rate. Live Births:— Legitimate 606 596 Illegitimate 17 21 Birth rate per 1,000 estimated population 15.5 Still Births:— Legitimate 14 17 Illegitimate 0 1 32 Rate per thousand total (live and still) births 25.1 Deaths 414 353 767 Death rate per 1,000 estimated population 9.6 Deaths from Puerperal Causes:— Total. Rate. (a) from Puerperal and Post-abortion Sepsis 0 (b) from other maternal causes 1 (c) rate per thousand total (live and still) births 0,8 5 Death rate of infants under one year of age:— All infants per thousand live births 42 Legitimate infants per thousand legitimate births 44 Illegitimate infants per thousand illegitimate live births 0 Deaths from Measles (all ages) 0 „ „ Whooping Cough' (all ages) 3 „ „ Diarrhoea (under 2 years of age) 3 „ „ Cancer (all ages) 128 SECTION B. GENERAL PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES FOR THE AREA. (1) Laboratory Facilities. The comprehensive laboratory facilities provided by the CountyCouncil were again available and were much used. The following is a list of pathological specimens examined by the County Bacteriologist during the year:— 135 throat swabs for K.L.B. 56 nasal swabs for K.L.B. 4 throat swabs for Vincents Angina. 195 sputum for tubercle bacilli. 24 specimens of urine. 1 sample of blood for Widal test. 9 samples for ringworm. 6 blood films. 5 samples of pus. 8 miscellaneous. (2) Ambulance Facilities. The Council ambulance which is manned by members of (he Fire Service has continued to serve the District adequately. The scheme of mutual help entered into with the Borough of Romford and with the Essex County Council has continued in operation. (3) Nursing in the Home. There are two nursing associations functioning in the Urban District, viz.:—(i) the Upminster and Cranham Association ; (ii) the Rainham Association. The remaining parts of the District which are not served by any scheme for nursing in the home contain about two thirds of the total population, 6 (4) Treatment Centres and Clinics. Maternity and Child Welfare Clinics are carried on by the County Council which is the Welfare Authority at the following centres:— (i) North Street School. (ii) Malvern Road, Romford. (iii) 61, Athelstan Road, Harold Wood. (iv) St. Lawrence Hall, Upminster. (v) Church Hall, Rainham. SECTION C. Sanitary Officers Regulations, 1935. Article 27. For the purposes of the work of the Sanitary Inspectors the District is divided into four areas each equal as far as possible in work and responsibility and in each a Sanitary Inspector carries out all the duties of his office. In addition to the normal duties the Sanitary Inspectors have also carried out work of a similar nature, e.g., visiting billets: public air-raid shelters: Civil Defence depots: inspecting damaged foodstuffs, etc. One Inspector also takes part in the routine inspection of the carcases of animals slaughtered for food at the Regional Slaughter House in Romford. SECTION D. HOUSING. During the year 23 houses were completed by private builders and housing certificates were issued. No houses were built by the Council, 7 SECTION E. CONTROLLED TRADES. Milk Production. The inspection of dairy farms has been carried out regularly and endeavours made to overcome the difficulties in clean milk production caused by shortage of staff, black-out conditions, etc. There are now eleven farms licensed by the County Council for the production of accredited milk. Meat. There are 4 slaughterhouses in the District which under section 57 of the Food and Drugs Act are licensed annually. None of these premises is being used for slaughtering animals during the war, in accordance with the terms of the Livestock (Restriction on Slaughtering) Order, 1940, which came into operation on 15th January, 1940. Knackers Yard. The Knackers business in Cranham has been discontinued, the licence having been cancelled in November, 1941. SECTION F. PREVALENCE OF AND CONTROL OVER INFECTIOUS DISEASE. During the year 1941 there was a decrease in the number of cases of Cerebro-spinal Fever notified from 17 to 8 and of Enteric Fever from. 17 to 3. Of the former there were two deaths, viz., a female aged 56 years and a child of one year who contracted the disease and died outside this District. The notifications of Scarlet Fever increased from 97 to 119. The Diphtheria cases were slightly less than last year; none of the fatal cases had received immunising treatment. There was an outbreak of Measles and in a less degree of Whooping Cough during the year. Three deaths occurred from the latter disease. 8 In the following table are shown the number of cases notified, removed to hospital, etc.: Total Number of Cases Disease. Notified. Admitted to Hospital Died. Smallpox 0 0 0 Scarlet Fever 119 76 0 Diphtheria 36 36 4 Enteric Fever 3 3 0 Cerebro-spinal Fever 8 8 2 Puerperal Pyrexia 7 6 0 Erysipelas 12 .5 0 Pneumonia 71 22 32 Measles 1,633 18 0 Whooping Cough 438 19 3 Ophthalmia 3 1 0 Tuberculosis. During the year 93 primary notifications of pulmonary and 39 of non-pulmonary Tuberculosis were received.