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public awareness of a problem, the magnitude of which,
both as regards morbidity and mortality, exceeds that of
accidents on the roads.
During 1957, seven cases of paralytic poliomyelitis were
notified in the Borough. The number of children resident
in the Borough who received a course of two injections
against this disease, under arrangements made by the local
Health Authority, was 3,172. The extension of vaccination
to all children of school age and possibly, in due course,
to members of the public generally may, it is hoped, in years
to come, considerably reduce the ill effects of this annual
visitation.
Although, broadly speaking, the incidence of pulmonary
tuberculosis is on the wane, there is evidence to show that
much still remains to be done in the abolition of this incapacitating
and killing disease. The chronic open case in
the community and the undiagnosed case, often in middleaged
and elderly people, remain two potent sources of infection.
The main spearheads in the attack against this disease
are the unremitting tracing of sources of infection, the
protection of contacts and young children by B.C.G. inoculation
and a more intensive search for new cases by means
of mass miniature radiography.
During the latter part of the year influenza of the
Asian type reached epidemic proportions in the Borough,
this being part of a world epidemic. Although widespread,
the disease did not reach the severity which had been anticipated
and most cases were of a relatively mild type, necessitating
a few days in bed followed by a short period of
convalescence. Much absenteeism resulted in factories and
in schools from this cause in the area. No deaths were
recorded as due to influenza during the year.
So much for these objective factors for which figures
are available, but this is by no means the whole story.
There are no statistics by which we can study the health of
the individual and of the community in the sense of happy
and successful living as integrated members of society which
is the essence of true health. It is, I think, true that, despite
the great advances in clinical medicine over the past 40
years and the operation of the National Health Service for
10 years, there has been no reduction in the total incidence of
disease although the pattern of disease has changed. The oldfashioned
epidemics have been largely brought under control
but have been largely offset by the increase in the incidence
of the so-called phychosomatic diseases such as coronary
thrombosis, peptic ulcer, certain forms of cancer, the
psychoneuroses and by the new endemics, accidents on the
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