[Report 1945] / Medical Officer of Health, Royal Tunbridge Wells Borough.

  • Tunbridge Wells (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1945
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1945] / Medical Officer of Health, Royal Tunbridge Wells Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    9/46 (page 7)
    BOROUGH OF ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS. Public Health Department, Town Hall, Tunbridge Wells. To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of Royal Tunbridge Wells. Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honour to present the Medical Officer of Health’s Annual Report for the Borough of Royal Tunbridge Wells, 1945. The Report covers the calendar year 1945 and your Medical Officer, Dr. Linton, retired on the 18th November, 1945. He was succeeded by Major Mearns, who, unfor¬ tunately soon became handicapped by illness and died on the 22nd March, 1946. This made administration difficult and threw a heavy burden on the Administrative Assistant, Mr. H. M. Coles. The Report on the whole appears to me to disclose a satisfactory position. Dr. Linton referred in the Report for 1944 to the high birth rate of 17.07. This rate for 1945 shows a drop to 13.84, which is nearer to our average. The Ministry of Health have issued a warning that a considerable increase in births is to be expected and we are already experiencing great difficulty in providing for maternity cases. Housing and domestic problems in many cases render confinement at home impossible ; Maternity Homes, Hospital Maternity Wards, and Nursing Homes are unable to provide sufficient accommodation, largely owing to shortage of Nursing and Domestic Staff. The Report deals with a period before I assumed office, and I anticipate you will have appointed a permanent Medical Officer of Health before the end of this year. Under these