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4 REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH FOR 1960
however, has risen by more than one quarter. In general terms, while
the outlook for tuberculosis has greatly improved, for bronchitis it is
only a little better, while for cancer of the lung it is 25 per cent. worse.
There is, therefore, no cause to slacken efforts to reduce the amount
of sickness and mortality from diseases of the chest.
In this connection, it gives particular pleasure to refer to the
inauguration of the new Wandsworth Chest Clinic. This started
functioning in 1960 although the formal opening by the Minister of
Health took place in 1961. The physician in charge of this clinic is
Dr. K. N. Citron who, in addition, has responsibilities at the Brompton
Hospital for Diseases of the Chest. The clinic is provided with the
most modern diagnostic equipment and is intended to offer facilities
for the instruction of post-graduate students and for research as well
as, of course, giving a first-rate service for the community. Although,
in general, Chest Clinics should form an integral part of hospital
design, an appropriate exception has been made in the case of the
Wandsworth Chest Clinic. It is located in close proximity to the
Health Departments of the Wandsworth Borough Council and the
London County Council and one cannot but feel that this, in itself,
is a happy emblem of the liaison which must exist between the preventive
and curative services in medicine generally and not least in
the diseases of the chest
The figures showing the general trend of home accidents in Wandsworth
are continued in 1960 in the Table on page 45. The figures are
not an absolutely accurate record of the individual accidents occurring
in the borough but are computed from returns supplied by the
London Ambulance Service. It is thought, however, that they do
provide a general, but only a general, guide to the occurrence of
accidents in the home. Even though they illustrate only a trend, they
do not provide much scope for satisfaction for they suggest an increase
for 1960 over previous years and the main increase is to be seen in
accidents due to falls. The distribution of the various accidents among
different age groups has not changed very much. Allowing for the
fact that these figures are only a general guide, one may assume that,
taking the optimistic view, there was no improvement in 1960 over
the previous years. The prevention of home accidents is essentially
one of education and it is difficult to know how to get across to the
public and particularly the age groups at special risk, the dangers of
accidents taking place in the home. In the main, reliance must be
placed on the personal approach by members of our staff who come
into contact with those of the population who are most likely to
meet with accidents, particularly the elderly. Thus, in the main, we
must rely on health visitors, home helps and social workers and also
public health inspectors who have access to people's houses. Unfortunately,
it is in the groups most at risk that it is often-times most
difficult to effect even those quite small changes of routine which
might lessen the chances of an accident. The elderly become fixed in
their ways and their habits and it is not easy to persuade them to