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Public Health Department,
Civic Centre,
Dagenham.
"Look to your health; and, if you have it, praise God and value
it next to a good conscience; for health is the second blessing
that we mortals are capable of; a blessing that money cannot
buy."
Izaak Walton, The Compleat Angler.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of Dagenham.
Last year, I tried to produce an annual report on the health of the citizens of Dagenham
which was more readable than those of previous years and I was greatly encouraged
by the response to my efforts from members of the Council, from a number of general
practitioners in the area and from others.
I realise that much of the statistical material of necessity included in the annual
report is of very little general interest. I was tempted to relegate it to the end of the
report for 1958 but felt it might spoil such balance as it has. I decided, therefore, to
write a somewhat longer introduction which I hope will contain the c meat' and will
enable the serious reader, if he so wishes, to dip into the body of the report for further
information. This plan, however, may tend to make the introduction somewhat disjointed
if it is to compress so much into such a small space.
During the year one of the matters which occupied the minds of the public and of
many medical officers of health was the dangers of radiation from the commercial use
of radiation products. In April I attended a short course organised by the Services
Group of the Society of Medical Officers of Health, on radiation hazards. This was
interesting and well attended but, because of the large amount of technical knowledge
put over in the short time available, somewhat heavy going. It would appear, however,
that there is much to be done by public health departments in the training of their staffs—
medical officers, public health inspectors, health visitors etc., in the detection of radiation
hazards and in avoiding any ill effects. The medical officer of health, as watchdog over
the health of the people, bears a heavy responsibility in this connection and I hope that
in the near future more suitable courses will be organised for all public health personnel.
Health education has not been the least important of our activities in which all the
staff have played a part. During the year an in-service training course in" The Teaching
of Parentcraft" was organised for health visitors, school nurses and nursing staffs, by
the Central Council for Health Education at the request of the Essex County Council.
This high-lighted modern methods of teaching in this field and the panel discussion
(so popular on television and radio) was not neglected as a means of putting over health.
It is important, as I have said in the body of the report, that we stick fast to the principle
of health education and do not allow ourselves to be led into carrying out disease education
which holds such a fascination for the lay public and which, apart from exceptional
circumstances, serves very little useful purpose in helping people to lead healthier lives.
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