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important that it should be fully realised that meat is an ideal
medium on which germs can multiply, and that that multiplication
is greatly assisted in a warm atmosphere. I would therefore,
enjoin everyone to cool their meat as rapidly as possible by
placing it in the coolest place on the premises, followed if possible,
by refrigeration at the earliest practicable moment.
It is not so long since the problem of under-nutrition was a
serious one, but the pendulum has now possibly swung in the
opposite direction with results almost as damaging to health.
When tuberculosis was rife, poverty and mal-nutrition were also
common, but now that these latter evils have been so greatly
reduced, another menace has arisen which is taking too big a toll
of too great a number of our community, who are often in the
prime of their lives. The condition to which I refer is coronary
thrombosis, and in this case evidence is accumulating that an
excess of fat in the diet is a predisposing cause. In the present
state of knowledge, it is therefore prudent to advise that as the
years pass and one's physical activities are reduced, so at the same
time should one's intake of food especially of fat, be moderated.
The trail of misery brought about by accidents in the home is
another matter to which I think your attention should be drawn.
Although such accidents are, of course not notifiable, they do I
understand exceed in number those occurring on the roads and
it is indeed sad that the home, which most of us regard as a haven
from the more cruel blows of the outside world, should be the
scene of so many tragic incidents. There are few, if any of us,
not guilty of thoughtlessness and carelessness in this direction,
and if a few potential sources of trouble are quoted one hopes
that the reader will think of others and take appropriate measures
to ensure the maximum safety at home. My mind runs on such
things as loose stair carpets, highly polished slippery floors,
defective gas or electric fittings, unguarded fires, poor lighting,
obstacles on the floor, poisonous substances left within reach of
children, and pots and pans on a stove in such a position that they
can be upset easily. This list could be multiplied many fold, and
in particular where the very young or very old make up part of
the household, is it necessary to take precautions against accidents,
to which these groups are peculiarly prone.
Amongst matters of particular interest and importance occurring
during the year, must be mentioned the commencement of the
County Council's scheme for vaccination against anterior poliomyelitis.
It is as yet too early to attempt to assess the results as
the numbers who have completed courses of treatment are too
small, but there is every justification for hoping that from small
beginnings a campaign will eventually be built up, producing
results as satisfactory as the preventive treatment of diphtheria
proved to be.