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5
Mr. Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors,
In general the state of health of the inhabitants of the Borough
in the year 1953 could be regarded from every aspect as highly
satisfactory. No 'smog' effects were felt—although the after
effects of the very bad fogs in December, 1952 were carried into
early 1953.
The old killer, tuberculosis, seems to be well on the retreat, and,
although no one can feel that he is likely to be routed for good ,a
continuance of the battle on its present course could eliminate
tuberculosis from our death lists in about five years' time.
The tenderness of care of infant life, and the reduction of
maternal mortality to insignificance, are facets of our progress in a
healthy way of life that give those of us who have spent a life-time
in public health work much solid satisfaction.
Our progress in the education of the food handler and school
leavers in the prevention of food infections is—like all pioneering—
uphill work. We believe, however, that having set our hand to the
plough we shall need patience, skill and labour to produce a harvest,
and the harvest we aim at—the abolition of the transmission of not
only food poisoning, but of all bowel carried disease—is one highly
worth securing. Since this certainly includes much poliomyelitis,
our ultimate aim is high and we cannot expect quick or spectacular
results. The figures you will find in the report show that our
drive is not slackening. It has now become, indeed, our firm opinion
that no one should be allowed to handle food which will be consumed
by the public, without having some sort of short course of
instruction in the dangers of carelessness in food preparation. The
ignorance of most food handlers on their power to cause illness by
means of faulty handling techniques is lamentable. A short course
of four talks can revolutionise their approach, and it is difficult to
understand how it is that no one is allowed to drive a motor car
without being officially tested to make sure that they are not a
menace to public safety on the road, whilst anyone, no matter how
ignorant they may be of the primary laws of hygiene in relation to
food, can be let loose to serve an unsuspecting public without any
instructions at all in the elementary rules of hygiene. Personally,
I would have been prepared to forgo the whole of the new legislation
on Clean Food under the Food and Drugs Amendment Act for a
compulsory short course on the hygiene of food handling given
through the Local Sanitary Authority to all workers in the food
industry. Perhaps we are not yet ready as a country for such
positive action but I look forward to the day when the country will
be able to say—our food is as safe and clean as it is possible to make
it. We are so very far from that at present!
The dichotomy of the health services in Ealing by the National
Health Service Act of 1946, has taken away from the Borough