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9
M.O.H. almost full circle. Nearly all his personal health services have
been transferred to the counties, and even the counties and county
boroughs have lost many of their personal health services (hospitals,
tuberculosis, etc.) to the new Regional Hospital Boards. In other
words there will be a reversion to the position of fifty years or so ago
and the district M.O.H. will specialise more and more on environmental
hygiene such as food and drink, infectious diseases, housing, infestation
and so on, not forgetting the highly important item of propaganda and
education of the public in health matters. This is perhaps more in
accordance with the new term " Social medicine," but it seems doubtful
if social medicine can make much progress while environmental health
services and personal health services remain in almost watertight
compartments — a danger which may be present, in London in particular.
I would like, before concluding the introduction of this report, to
express my thanks to the staff for their work during the year under
review, and also my thanks to the Public Health Committee (with
Councillor Miss M. Davies, M.sc., as chairman until November,
followed by Councillor F. W. M. Pettit, j.p.) and to the Maternity and
Child Welfare Committee (with Councillor Mrs. N. M. Palmer as
chairman) for their support and guidance in the work done.