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67
Our co-ordinated local authority services have a vital part to
play in relieving mental illness which has so many facets and
which demands so much from so many professions and skills in its
prevention.
Whilst in many areas where services are limited or non existent
one can visualise valuable improvements resulting from the transfer
of responsibility for the training of the subnormal to the education
authorities, it is difficult to see what advantages will accrue to this
group in Greenwich. Certainly our training methods are second to
none and the envy of many and we provide the most up-to-date
facilities available. In this connection it must be said that those
suffering from mental defects arising from genetic variations are
unlikely to show great advance and their greatest need is for
attention from those who really "care"—the source of finance is
immaterial. Inherent in this switch of responsibility is the risk that
this group will become the least important in the list of educational
priorities. Moreover, after the education authorities have had their
way, many members of this group will again become charges of the
local health authority. Without being unduly pessimistic this is
hardly likely to be beneficial to our mentally disabled children.
Obesity
Obesity does not just arrive over-night. It has a history of
insidious development over a number of years and its elimination
is certain to prove equally protracted.
Statistics show that, for obese individuals, life expectancy is
shortened not only by heart disabilities but also by a number of
other degenerative conditions such as liver, kidney and gallbladder
disease, diabetes, etc., which, in many instances, are accompanied
by the painful and crippling effects of arthritis. Furthermore, apart
from the rise in incidence rates of hernias, varicose veins, blood
pressure and other circulatory disorders, treatment of respiratory
diseases such as bronchitis and emphysema is rendered less
effective and accidents and operative risks are correspondingly
greater.
It has been estimated that more than 6% of men and over 11%
of women are more than 20% overweight.
In infants, rapid weight gain is associated with artificial feeding
and the early introduction of cereals for, whereas there is a
natural limit to the intake of calories in the breast fed baby, overfeeding
is possible (and common) with the artificially fed child.
Few determined efforts have been made to ascertain the degree
of obesity obtaining throughout the country although two general
practices in London were recently investigated with a view to