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admission where necessary9 health education and lectures to nurses. It
secured a significant reduction in mortality. Another facet of child
welfare in the borough was the establishment of the Mothercraft Training
Society in Trebovir Road about 1920. This accepted patients from all
over the country, treated children, advised mothers and taught hospital
nurses, maternity nurses and welfare nurses the principles of child welfare.
A unique provision was the Fathers' Council instituted in 1922.
This was the first of its kind in the country and was intended to foster
paternal responsibility, to advance the interests of the Centre and to
raise funds for various Centre activities. It was attached to the
Lancaster Road Infant Welfare Centre, and was recognized by the award of
the Norah March Trophy to the Council in 1954.
To quote from the 1925 annual report of the Medical Officer of
Health "a hospital for the treatment of children's diseases is
probably the most urgent requirement in the health services of Kensington."
A children's hospital of eleven beds established in Church Street in 1840
was worn out. Funds were raised by local endeavour under the gracious
patronage of H.R.H. Princess Louise, and the children's hospital bearing her
name was commenced in 1926. The needs are just as great today as evidenced
by figures and by the opinions held by the Council, the people of the borough
and the local medical profession. It is to be hoped that the four years
wrangle on the future of this institution will not end in this essential,
efficient and beautiful children's hospital being sacrificed on the grounds
of academic expediency put forward by a hospital authority not even
situated in the Royal Borough.
In 1938, the Council approved the acquisition of properties which
occupied part of the original Notting Dale Special Area. Over the years
these had deteriorated even further and, despite efforts at rehabilitation,
constituted a major slum and social problem. Foremost in the area was
Bangor Street, wherein the notorious Rag Fair was held on Sunday mornings.
This was known as "The Poor Man's Petticoat Lane" and many highly doubtful
sales and transactions were there conducted. The war prevented the progress
of the Council's plans for the area, which appropriately enough became a
centre for street fighting training, but in 1945 the redevelopment, resulting
in the present blocks of Henry Dickens Court, was commenced.
In 1946, what has been described as the "bed bug blitz" took place.
Three thousand, two hundred and fifty houses were treated experimentally
with D.D.T. and it was shown that one treatment was successful in eradicating
the infestation in 97.2% of cases. As a result, bed bug infestation is
now almost negligible in Kensington.
During the century another public health problem has been
gradually reduced - that relating to bakehouses. In 1901, there were
114 underground bakehouses in the borough, the great majority providing
most insanitary conditions for work and food production. Over the years
these have been gradually reduced, until now there are only 6 remaining.
What then are the problems of today? I have already mentioned
the reduction in death rates in the age distribution of deaths, and in the
types of diseases causing death. Nowadays the commonest causes among
1,772 deaths in 1956 are heart and blood vessel disease (605), followed
by cancer (362), then by strokes, bronchitis and pneumonia in descending
order of frequency0 We have our comprehensive Health and Social Services
among which such items as sanitary engineering, water supply, refuse
collection and disposal, drainage, street cleansxng and lighting; nuisance
abatement, disinfection, disinfestation, the control of infectious disease
and tuberculosis, dirty dogs, pigeons, rats and mice, still occupy a
considerable part of the working time of my department and that of the
Borough Engineer. These are essential and fundamental problems, but in
each case they have either been solved or are under control, and the
continued control is a question of well tried routine. There remain,
however, many major and as yet unsolved public health problems. These are
housing, atmospheric pollution, care of old people, food hygiene, home and
road safety, mental health, nuclear radiation hazards and health education.