View report page

12
and expected significant fall but surprisingly there was also a
fall in cancer death rates including those for cancers of lung and
bronchus. Reference to the more detailed table of causes of death
show that this decrease was significantly of males in the 65-74
age group, followed by males in the 45-54 age group; 32 and 11
less deaths respectively.
Environmental Health and Infectious Diseases
There was an increase from 300 to 528 notified cases of
venereal disease; an increase of 5 cases of Syphilis, 51 cases of
Gonorrhoea and 182 cases of other venereal conditions. The
treatment centres for these conditions are outside the Borough.
The responsibility of the Authority lies in the tracing of contacts
and in general preventative health education. There are general
comments in the report of the Health Education Officer on health
education and youth which in the long term are equally relevant
to prevention of this rising tide of venereal disease as they are
to the prevention of drug addiction and smoking addiction.
Happily on the other side of the picture, the prevalence of
other infectious diseases with the exception of measles and the
alimentary diseases was less. Even with measles, the increase was
less than might be expected. With an illness so infectious as
measles, a very high immunisation rate of over 80% must be
maintained before eradication on the lines of the poliomyelitis
results can be achieved. My Deputy deals in more detail with
this later in the Report.
In the first year of notification, there was no recorded epidemic
of infectious hepatitis though in my experience in another large
Authority and at another time, an epidemic in primary schools
dragged on for many months.
For many viral diseases, effective vaccines are unlikely ever
to be manufactured and consequently the skills and expertise
of Public Health Inspectors in containing the spread of epidemics
with the advice of medical practitioners and medical officers
experienced in epidemiology will ever be necessary.
The work of the Public Health Inspectors of the Borough
and of the Veterinary Officers of the City of London undertaking
certain duties in connection with diseases of animals indicates
later in the Report the valuable epidemiological enquiries that are
necessary. Prevention of the spread of Anthrax from a local farm,
control of an outbreak of fowl pest and the investigation of the
disposal of asbestos waste in commercial premises where this could
be present and might cause cancer were examples during the year
of such control.
The report on environmental health refers in great detail
to food hygiene and to the advantages of self-service stores, to