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main arterial route of Holloway Road to Highgate. An interesting experiment was
begun of noting some of the vehicles with a particularly heavy emission of dense
smoke, and informally communicating with the owners requesting their voluntary
co-operation in reducing this nuisance; no other course is possible to this Council
since it has no statutory powers in regard to vehicles. It is interesting to note that
whilst very excellent co-operation has been obtained, in no single case dealt with
has the owner denied the excessive emission at the time of observation when the
vehicle passed through this Borough. In view of the almost certain major increase
in the number of diesel-engined vehicles which are likely to be placed on the road
within the next few years, it would appear evident that much more should be done
than hitherto to control these vehicles as possible sources of pollution.
The major deficiency of Public Health Inspectors continued throughout the
year, to the disadvantage of the public health of Islington. Unless the recruitment
position changes very considerably (of which there is no sign at present) it is
difficult to visualise when the establishment of Inspectors can be recruited to the
full, or even approaching the full establishment. As will be noted from the Report,
this Council has for the past few years assisted materially in the training of Inspectors,
and there were five pupils in the Department at the end of the year. It will be
noted also that the designation of the former Sanitary Inspector has now been
changed to Public Health Inspector, to bring this title more into line with the present
conception of the wider aspects of the Inspector's place in dealing with environ—
mental health and hygiene.
Several items of new legislative powers are referred to in the Report, but
housing still constitutes a major social and health problem in this Borough. The
Council, with very great regret, had most reluctantly to come to the conclusion that
the general housing waiting list must be suspended, having regard to the relatively
limited amount of new housing likely to become available in the immediate fore—
seeable future. Individual unfit houses and parts of houses, including underground
rooms, continue to be represented, and the re-housing of the displaced families had,
of course to be effected in order that closure or demolition could be carried out.
With regard to health education, attention was, of course, centred particularly
upon the preparations for the holding of the Centenary Exhibition, which involved
much research and work. Whilst those bodies and persons outside the Borough
Council's own service are mentioned in the section of the Report dealing with the
Exhibition, it is only right to mention also that the staff of the Public Health
Department gave most enthusiastic assistance in connection with the Exhibition
preparations and voluntarily gave much time, and provided ingenious ideas and
contributions to exhibits which helped very materially in increasing the variety and
interest of the exhibits.
It would be invidious to mention all names, but the Health Department can
only function effectively as a team, and I must again express my thanks to the
Deputy Medical Officer of Health, Dr. A. L. Thrower, the Chief Public Health
Inspector, Mr. W. C. Bartlett, and the Chief Clerk, Mr. E. J. Sharp, and to all
other members of the Public Health Department staff who have contributed so
effectively to the smooth working of the Department during the past year.
The Borough Council's health services now deal very largely with matters
of environmental health, but these are closely linked with the more personal health
services which are administered by the London County Council. If the public are
not to suffer, there must be close co-operation between these two aspects of the