Brixham Medical Officers

Our archives include Annual Reports 1897-1967, compiled by the Medical Officers of Health to Brixham Urban District Council. Listed below are the doctors, with links to the statistical tables, taken from their annual reports, showing the causes of death in Brixham during their time in office.

Biographical details of Brixham's doctors and the development of health services in Brixham since 1890 are detailed in our publication MEDICINAL PURPOSES by Samantha Little, price £4.95 plus £1.50 postage and packing. Contact us for your copy.

        . Dr George Blacker Elliott                                       (1895-1920)  

                Dr. Elliot held the post of Medical Officer of Health for 25 years. He implemented stringent public health measures to contain infectious diseases, campaigned for essential isolation provision and worked assiduously with the local authority to ameliorate insanitary housing conditions.

        . Dr Jacob Bartlett and Dr Robert Busher Thompson deputised during  (1915-1918)

( Dr Jacob Barlett LRCPEdin LRFPSGlasg and Dr Robert Busher Thompson MBChBVict deputised during Dr Elliott's war service, 1915-1918 )

        . Dr James Forsyth Falconer                                      (1920-1937)

                During Dr Falconer's tenure of office, Brixham became a Port Sanitary Authority and the health of local patients improved due to new Hospital facilities in the town and a fall in mortality rates from infectious diseases.

        . Dr Robert Busher Thompson                                   (1937-1940)  

                Dr Thompson was Deputy MOH from 1920-1937 and during his years as MOH presided over beneficial changes to the care of patients, which resulted from an effective District Nursing service. After 1940, the Brixham Sanitary Authority was amalgamated with that of the Urban District of Paignton and the Borough of Dartmouth.

        . Dr Andrew Dick                                                       (1940-1953)

                Dr Dick was the first MOH to the newly-combined sanitary district and presided over changes in healthcare created by the inception of the NHS. He established successful vaccination programmes and increased life-expectancy amongst local patients.

        . Dr Douglas MacTaggart                                           (1954-1957)

                Dr MacTaggart inherited a town relatively free from zymotic diseases, although appropriate measures were still necessary for further eradication. He also supervised an expansion of the availability of medical services to local patients.  

        . Dr John Wildman                                                      (1958-1967)  

                Dr Wildman's years as MOH included public health scares from the threat of smallpox and anthrax and more routine problems concerning the domestic behaviour of beatniks, burials at sea and the nuisance caused by the insanitary habits of visitors to Brixham holiday camps.