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An exhibit which was staged at the National Home Safety Conference held in October concentrated on
oil heater safety and the safe-guarding of young children. It received much favourable comment, and a
leaflet "Free Oil Heater information" about oil heater safety produced by the health education section
proved a success judged by the quantities taken by delegates attending the conference, and their consequent
take up in the borough.
EXHIBITIONS
Health education topics must be presented in a highly professional manner. When one considers the
first-class presentation and packaging of household goods, which capture the eye and the imagination, then
the task facing the service is one of competition with everyday things. Good health is never noticed until it
is absent. To this end much time, effort and ingenuity in devising, building and presenting exhibits, which
are not only eye-catching but which sell a health topic without appearing to inhibit the people receiving the
message, is necessary. Exhibitions and displays were presented at The City Livery Hall, The Guildhall,
during an educational conference "Your Chest, your Heart, your Health"sponsored by the Chest and Heart
Association; open days at the Whittington Hospital; the annual Islington Civic Conference; the civic
exhibition held at the Upper Holloway Baptist Church following the Church Service for his Worship the
Mayor, Alderman Robin Goodman; the Mayor's Reception at the Town Hall and an exhibition
demonstrating the Community Nursing Services in conjunction with "Contact", a symposium presented by
the department's nursing service. The themes of these displays dealt with Home Safety, Smoking and
Health, Dental Hygiene, Water Safety, the School Health Services, Immunisation, Hypothermia, Fireworks
and many other topics.
In addition to these major exhibitions, the display windows of the Health Department were fully utilised
every month with displays relevant to the monthly theme. They were invariably animated and were thus
more interesting to the passer-by who stopped to take in the message. Individual triptych displays, made for
showing in health centres, also followed the monthly theme and were, therefore, never on display long
enough to become "part of the furniture". Indeed some mothers said that they looked forward to seeing
the next "instalment" of the triptych story, which indicated that health education was being stimulated
and the themes were reaching their targets.
The Health Education Officer distributed the prizes at Pakeman Primary School and incorporated a
number of topical health education anecdotes. He is to be congratulated on being elected President of the
Guild of Health Education Officers for the year 1970/71.
It is encouraging to know that within the department there are many enthusiasts for health education
who see it as being the ultimate public health weapon. Every member of the Health Department should act
as a health educator even if he is not a member of the professional or field staff, as attitudes and demeanour
can create an impression, good or bad, on the public.
The fact that we work in the Health Department should, in itself, indicate our aim — "The promotion of
Health for the Community".
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