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49
One other way of introducing the problem of lung cancer to
the public was found. When asked to give a talk and show a film
strip on the work of the Public Health Department the smoking
and lung cancer film strip was taken also and shown, as an example
of our work, as an "extra" at the end of the main talk. It
was found that it always created interest and good discussion
and helped in a small way to further the campaign.
We are planning to introduce a more lively and interesting
form of health education into infant welfare centres during 1959
and an increasing number of visual aids have been made and
bought for this purpose. Displays for four pegboard triptyches
were designed and mounted and illustrated the following subjects:-
"Shoe fitting"
"Dangerous and safe children's nightclothes and
party clothes"
"Your baby's needs"
"Sterilisation of baby's bottles"
There is an increasing amount of health education material
now, but there is still a great need for adventurous experiment.
A certain amount of improvision will always be necessary but we
have realised that we must be dramatic, use clear and simple
language, colour and motion sometimes. To keep up with the
times and the interests of people a great effort is being made
to raise the standard of teaching and publicity.
1958 was a busy year for exhibition stands and displays.
These involved an enormous amount of work, but were used as
fully as possible to "teach without tears". One rotating model
containing eight scenes and made by the health visitors was
later lent to the Royal College of Nursing, The London University
Institute of Education and Willesden Public Health Department.
It was an honour and great responsibility to be invited to
the Public Health Inspectors' Conference at Blackpool in September,
to join with Dr. Dalzell Ward in opening the discussion
following Mr. Herrick' s paper on "Health Education in Practice".
We succeeded in drawing a considerable amount of fire.
Another interesting four days was spent at the Royal College
of Nursing, assisting with a health visitors' refresher course.
One section elected to study "Group Methods in Health Education"
and became interested enough by the end of the course to produce
their report to the staff and their colleagues in the form
of a short three-scene play.