[Report 1939] / Medical Officer of Health, Caernarvonshire Combined Sanitary Districts (Bangor City, Conway Borough, Bethesda U.D.C., Betws y Coed U.D.C., Llandudno U.D.C., Llanfairfechan U.D.C., Penmaenmawr U.D.C., Nant Conway R.D.C., Ogwen R.D.C., Caernarvon Borough, Pwllheli Borough, Criccieth U.D.C., Portmadoc U.D.C., Gwyrfai R.D.C., Lleyn R.D.C.).

  • Caernarvonshire Combined Sanitary Districts.
Date:
1939
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1939] / Medical Officer of Health, Caernarvonshire Combined Sanitary Districts (Bangor City, Conway Borough, Bethesda U.D.C., Betws y Coed U.D.C., Llandudno U.D.C., Llanfairfechan U.D.C., Penmaenmawr U.D.C., Nant Conway R.D.C., Ogwen R.D.C., Caernarvon Borough, Pwllheli Borough, Criccieth U.D.C., Portmadoc U.D.C., Gwyrfai R.D.C., Lleyn R.D.C.). Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    of ^special Disinfecting Officer or Officers for disinfecting after Fever, for Tuberculosis (period- icd^f during life, as well as after departure to Sanatorium and after Death), for disinfecting Schools, Halls, &c. The King Edward Memorial Association have mooted the question of Travel- ling Disinfecting Vans, mth Disinfecting Officer, for disinfecting premises and bedding, &c. P.S.2.—The question of Disinfection in connection with Tuberculosis cases bristles with difficulties, and raises the matter of disinfecting carpets (where the use of them has not been discarded), of mats and of unwashable and in some cases, expensive articles of personal clothing, &c. As also the question of stripping the walls (and making good the perished plaster), and repapering or colouring the walls and ceilings, and perhaps repainting and revarnishing woodwork. Who is to bear the expense—tenant, landlord, or Sanitary Authority. Also the question of disinfecting articles from infected houses prior to their exposure for sale at public auctions, and jumble sales, including also articles purchased on the hire-purchase system and claimed back by the dealer owing to stopping of payment. Also the que.stion of how to temporarily house the patient and family (in some cases) during the process of disinfection. Akso how to overcome the natural disinclination there might be on the part of the patient and his family to have the house (or bedroom) disinfected periodically during life. (7) Fevers.—(a) Councils who have not yet made provision for Smallpox Isolation ; (b) Im- munisation against Smallpox, Diphtheria Enteric Fever, &c. ; (c) Measles and Whooping Cough have once more been made compulsorily notifiable, but not so Chicken Pox, Mumps, &c. ; (d) See Disinfection above. (8) Meat.—Under War conditions private slaughtering has been replaced by Government slaughtering. There should be Refrigerators in connection with every Abattoir. (9) Water Supplies.-—Privately- and Publicly-owned Water Undertakings should be kept under observation and Analysis (chemical and bacteriological) be called for at sufficiently frequent intervals. Every Sanitary Authority (alone or in combination with one or more others) .should have a qualified Water Engineer in their service. All hamlets, as far as possible, and smaller collections of houses, without a piped water supply, should have schemes of such provided for them, both for the sake of having pure drinking water and for ho.sts of other purposes, including acting as a necessary preliminary to a Drainage System. Methodical Chlorination (added to Filterstion) should be carried out in all bid undertakings, and also in smaller ones should the Analysis prove unsatisfactory. (10) Drainage and Sewerage.—Following on, or concurrently with, a Water Schem, such districts should be provided with a Drainage System, and all Dry Closets be converted into Water Closets. (11) Public Scavenging.—Similarly, Public Scavenging Schemes should be universally extended to every hamlet, and, as far as possible, to every smaller collection of houses. (12) The question of a Public Health Laboratory for North Wales.—(See Report on Caernarvon Borough). By the way, the Ministry of Health through the Medical Research Council and the War Emergency Public Health Laboratory Scheme, have established a Laboratory (subsidiary in a sense to the Cardiff Laboratory), at the Fisheries Experimental Station, Conway, under Dr. D. T. Robinson. It may be hoped that this will become a permanent institution, to continue at Conway, or be transferred to Bangor perhaps. (13) Isolated Houses {or Blocks of Houses), Cowsheds and other Establishments.—Failing Public Water Supply, Public Drainage and Public Scavenging, adequate private facilities should be insisted upon from the start, and also “ here and now ” in the absence of such provision having been made at the beginning. (14) Where to draw the line ?—It must be conceded 'that it is often a very difficult matter to decide when Public facilities in the way of Water Supply, Sewerage and Scavenging should be extended to, or with-held from a dwelling house or collection of houses. Similarly with farms and other establishments. It would be well if certain principles could be agreed upon. W'e presume it is partly, at any rate, an actuarial question. (15) Maternal Mortality and Infant (including New-born) Mortality.-—Also Still-born Mortal- ity ; how shall we lesser Sanitary Authorities help to reduce these ? At least, by seeking to raise the Standard of Housing and Sanitation generally. (16) Vital Statistics.—For comparative purposes it may be mentioned that the Live Birth- rate, Death-rate and Infant Mortality for England and Wales in 1939 were 15.0, 12.1, 50.0 as compared with 15.1, 11.6, and 53.0 in 1938, and therefore slightly lower as regards Birth-rate, and Infant Mortality, and slightly (0.5) higher as regards Death-rate. We have the honour to be. Your obedient Servants, G. LEWIS TRAVIS. E. LLOYD OWEN.