View report page

108
GENERAL
SANITARY ADMINISTRATION.
Sanitary work in the sense of house sanitation has
fallen somewhat into the background in the public
mind owing to the greater attention which has been
given in recent years to the treatment of disease and
to Maternity and Child Welfare. There is, however,
no warrant for supposing that its importance is any less,
rather the contrary. So long as one of the chief motives
of the Public Health Service is " Prevention is better
than cure " so long will it be a vitally important branch
of its work to see that the physical environment conduces
to the health of the individual. This is an
uphill task in an old congested district like Bethnal
Green. Much of the property is hopelessly below
modem standards and only unremitting zeal on the
part of the sanitary inspectors makes it at all tolerable
for human habitation. The activity of their sanitary
staff may justly be claimed as a credit to the borough
and as one of the factors contributing to its improved
health notwithstanding the many adverse circumstances.