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is very unlikely to recur in such dimensions. Locally the School Dental
Service remained only slightly below full strength at a time when the
denudation of this Service nationally was rendering farcical the preferential
treatment for young children prescribed in the Act. It is to be hoped
that the. tendency for other branches of the Public Health Services to
become weaker will not be permitted to continue, otherwise inevitable
results can be foreseen.
The Emergency Bed Service improved during the year, although
it is obviously hampered by the continuing deficiency in hospital beds.
Unfortunately the services having a fundamental influence on health,
viz., housing, schools, hospitals, health centres, etc., made insufficient
advance during the year to affect the trend of events, they being limited
of course, chiefly by economic and similar conditions.
It is well known that, in spite of their additional expenditure, the
Hospital Services are unable to develop as they would wish, but a subject
which receives too little publicity is the part to be played in the new services
by those responsible for the prevention of ill-health. What is
nominally a "Health" Service is thus in reality a service for the treatment
of disease, and almost, if not all, the increases in expenditure on the
National Health Service have, in fact, been incurred on a "repair service."
It is naturally questioned whether this is the soundest avenue of
approach.
For those involved in the Public Health Service it is obviously disappointing
to see their ranks being depleted, their duties transferred to
other sections of the Health Service, the members of which are not
always specially trained or experienced for the purpose, and to see but
little hope of development of true preventive work.
The outlook in respect of the creation of Health Centres has deteriorated
depressingly. Only when existing Clinic facilities are very deficient
can it be hoped that new premises will be procurable. It is a pity that
in such circumstances experiments cannot be made which will provide
for group practice for general practitioners, probably in association
with existing X-ray and other facilities, and in such a way that later
extensions can be made to provide, where needed, a full Health Centre.
Although this move is only likely to produce improved efforts at the
prevention of disease in the more distant future, it would appear to be a
practicable step which could wisely be made at this juncture, with more
hope of ultimate influence than the erection of a few isolated and very
expensive comprehensive Health Centres.
At the time of writing the increasingly complicated problem of
international relationships is again raising the very difficult question as
to how far we can permit ourselves to be distracted from the creation
of a healthier and better balanced national life by non-creative preparations
for defence. Greater productive efforts will obviously be required of
all members of the community, combined with a careful review and
elimination of wasteful or non-productive activities. At the same time
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