Medical Officers of Health (MOH) were an integral part of public
health administration after 1875, when the Public Health Act 1875
required each sanitary authority (after 1894 each borough or
district council) to appoint a MOH. Medical officers were qualified
medical practitioners, but were not usually allowed to practice
privately, in order to avoid a possible conflict of interests.
MOH were required to report to their employing authority on
matters of public health interest in their areas. The surviving
reports can contain a great deal of interesting information about
medical and health issues in particular places. Reports held at
Huntingdon Record Office include:
Huntingdonshire County
- Medical Officer of Health - 1913,1918-1920,1944-1964
- School Medical Officer - 1941, 1944-1962,1964
Soke of Peterborough
- Medical Officer of Health - 1964
Huntingdon and Peterborough County
- County and Principal School Medical Officers - 1965-1971
- Peterborough City - 1939,1954-55,1957-1970
- Huntingdon Borough - 1877-1971
- Various other districts - 1961-1971
Notifications of Births and Deaths
The Notification of Births (Extension) Act of 1915 made
compulsory the notification to the MOH of the birth of every child.
Huntingdon Record Office holds:
- Hunts county returns and registers of notifications of births,
1919-1966
- Huntingdon Rural District Council registers of notifications of
births 1915-1920 and deaths 1875-1937
- St Neots Rural District Council registers of notifications of
births 1917-1925
- Soke of Peterborough registers of notifications of births
1941-1966 and deaths 1944-1966
Northamptonshire Record Office hold a series of Medical Officer
of Health Records relating to Peterborough deposited as part of the
Peterborough Poor Law Union Collection. See under Poor Law Union
for details.
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