View report page

7
To the Chairman and Members of the
Chislehurst and Sidcup Urban District Council.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
"Everything in the garden is lovely," is a well known
expression which can rarely be true literally, for it must be a most
exceptional circumstance when any garden is completely free from
weeds. The purpose of a letter such as this, is to draw attention
to the fact that in most respects, the garden of health is in a
satisfactory condition but that there are a few black spots or weeds
which are worthy of thought and consideration. One of the
outstanding black spots in my opinion is the fact that such a small
number of the most recent group available for vaccination against
anterior poliomyelitis has offered itself for treatment. This refers
to those in the 26—40 age group who rely too much perhaps, on the
fact that this disease used to be one primarily affecting children.
Now that a high percentage of children have been vaccinated
against this disease its attack is more likely to be made on the
non-immunes of an older generation. It is not without significance
that no cases of poliomyelitis in children were notified in 1959, but
that during that year, two very serious adult cases occurred. It
seems strange that it apparently needs the death from poliomyelitis
of some public personality to bring home the need for self
protection against this affliction, and it should be unnecessary for
such a tragic event to occur before the public will respond to one's
most fervent appeals. It may be that there are those who have
their own objections to injections, and therefore one hopes that the
work now being undertaken on the subject of an oral vaccine will
be brought to a satisfactory conclusion at an early date. Not only
could this method if ultimately found to be effective, be much
pleasanter and less troublesome for the patient, but would also be
very time saving from the point of view of the doctor.
Unsatisfactory in the extreme must be considered the fact that
deaths from violence numbering 28 reached their highest figure of
the past decade. This total was made up of twelve motor vehicle
accidents, seven suicides and nine other accidents. These latter
figures are surely worthy of further comment and firstly one can
only express horror at this needless waste of life bringing sudden
and unexpected loss to some innocent and unsuspecting family.
Road accidents are being given great publicity and the law is being
invoked wherever possible in an effort to reduce the carnage on the
roads, but only when there is a change of attitude of mind on the
part of all road users, is any permanent and significant reduction
in road accidents likely.
Turning to the other nine fatal accidents, the fact that most of
these would have been preventable had reasonable care been taken,