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374
disease should be brought into the campaign of popular education.
Just as the modern work performed in connection with child mortality
has been essentially educational, so must education become the
main objective in the whole field of public health.
Hitherto the propaganda of Health Authorities in this country
has been quite unworthy of a matter of such fundamental importance.
Such work has attained to a carefully conceived and fairly organised
general effort only in respect to Venereal Disease and the short
intensive campaign of "Baby Week," and in both cases this was
at the instance of outside non-official bodies. Nowhere has a deliberate
and comprehensive scheme been adopted for keeping before the
country the facts that must be widely known before the public
health can be greatly improved, our public health problems simplified
and our public health efforts and provisions made more productive.
Such continuous propaganda will still be necessary even after the
time arrives when every school child will receive teaching and
training in health matters.
MATERNITY AND CHILD-WELFARE WORK.
As in past years, Maternity and Child Welfare took a very
prominent place in the public health work of the Borough Council,
and I have pleasure in testifying to the fact that all those officials
employed upon it rendered high-quality services. The work is of
outstanding value. Coincident with its development the cost has,
of course, increased considerably; but there is nothing so blameworthy
as economy which results in a wastage of health and efficiency
due to ignorance and neglect in reference to the early development
of human life, when any possible expenditure can reduce this
wastage. That fact is well appreciated in Stoke Newington, not
only by the members of the Maternity and Child Welfare Committee,
but also by every member of the Borough Council.
The most noteworthy events in connection with Maternity and
Child Welfare work in the Borough during 1920 were as follows:
An additional official Health Visitor was appointed (Miss
Sandeman).