Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
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Division of Epidemiology
Other form(s) of name
Ontario. Department of Health. Epidemiology Branch
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Description area
Dates of existence
History
In April 1939, responsibility for venereal disease was removed frm the Division of Preventable Diseases and set up as a separate unit called Division of Venereal Disease Control. At the same time, the Division of Preventable Diseases was renamed Division of Epidemiology. The Director of the new Division was H. A. Ansley. During the Second World War, R. P. Hardman took over as Director since Ansley was on active service. Hardman carried on after the War ended until 1960 when G. E. Large was appointed.
In August 1960, responsibility for venereal disease was returned to the Division which was renamed the Epidemiology Branch as part of a larger reorganization into three sections: (i) Communicable Disease Control Section; (ii) Venereal Disease Control Section; and (iii) Food Control and Zoonoses Section. The latter was created to handle the regulatory aspects of food hygiene previously carried out by the Environmental Sanitaion Branch (but not including milk products). It also took charge of zoonoses, or disease of animals that can be transmitted to humans.
In 1966, the Epidemiology Branch was dissolved and became a separate service under the Special Health Services Branch within the newly-created Public Health Division.
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Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
The Division of Epidemiology was concerned with studying and eradicating numerous diseases such as hepatitis, diphtheria, salmonellosis, scarlet fever, whooping cough, and a host of other communicable diseases. In the 1940s and 1950s, particular concern was shown over poliomyelitis, and a vaccination programme begun in 1954. In 1960, the responsibility of venereal disease control returned to the Division, and specific programmes were provided under the following sections: Communicable Disease Control, Venereal Disease Control, and Food Control and Zoonoses. Legislation which governed the activities of the Division include the Public Health Act, and the Venereal Diseases Prevention Act.
The main function of the Division was to provide advisory and consultative assistance to medical officers of health, local boards of health and private physicians concerning matters of interest to the Division. The Division was also responsible for compiling statistics on the incidence of communicable diseases reported in the province, as well as purchasing and distributing vaccine and other biological products including insulin used in providing immunization against certain communicable diseases and occasionaly in the treatement of cases to medical officers of health within the province.
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Rules and/or conventions used
RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Annual Report of the Department of Health, 1939-1966
Maintenance notes
Archivist(s):
Chang