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To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Borough of Hornsey.
Mr Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit my Annual Report on the Public Health
of the Borough for the year ending 31st December, 1947.
Local Government Changes on the "Appointed Day" (5th July,
1948)
On the 5th July, 1948—the "Appointed Day" under the National
Health Service Act, 1946—considerable changes took place in the structure
of public health and in the relations between the authorities.
The general effect was that the "major" authorities (Counties and
County Boroughs) became more major and the "minor" authorities
(Municipal Boroughs and Urban Districts) became more minor. In
this process the municipal Borough of Hornsey suffered disruption of
its public health duties and functions, the larger part of these passing
to the Middlesex County Council and the Regional Hospital Board.
Public Health or Preventive Medicine is generally recognised as
embracing two main branches—
(a) Environmental Hygiene
(b) Personal Health Services
(a) Environmental Hygiene
Environmental Hygiene is sometimes appropriately called "nineteenth
century public health." It may be said to have commenced in 1848
and expanded during the nineteenth century as the chief responsibility
of the Local Authorities. It concerns itself with everything which
contributes to clean healthy surroundings free from disease and infection.
It is many-sided. It involves the Borough Engineer & Surveyor's
Department in sewage disposal, collection and disposal of house refuse,
street cleansing and lighting, the care and upkeep of parks and open
spaces. It is a pleasure to record that in Hornsey during 1947 and 1948,
this work took on a more positive aspect with the title of the "Amenity
Scheme" under which the planting of trees in streets and provision of
flower beds in various sites throughout this beautiful Borough has made
Hornsey still more beautiful and contributed to the mental health and
happiness of its citizens.
Environmental hygiene is also the function of the Housing Department
in the difficult task of providing adequate and suitable accommodation
for the rapidly increasing number of growing young families. Overcrowding
and the sharing of cooking and washing facilitiess and sanitary
accommodation constitute the chief threat to the public health to-day.
Although this does not show itself in the vital statistics which reflect
physical health, the housing shortage is a cause of worry, anxiety, annoyance,
bad temper and frustration which contribute to the commonest of
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