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East Barnet Urban District Council
EIGHTY-FOURTH
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
FOR THE YEAR 1957.
To the Chairman and Members of the
East Barnet Urban District Council
I have the honour to present my report for the year 1957.
Vital Statistics show remarkably little variation from last year's
figures and the population of the district has apparently nearly
reached its peak. There are only two items worthy of comments
in the statistics, (1) 1957 was a "Measles Year" and it seems that
the total of notifications received was a reasonably accurate figure
of the number of cases in the district—a comment which could
not be made as regards notifications of other infectious diseases.
Once again attention is drawn to the necessity for prompt notification—necessary
in all cases of notifiable diseases, but absolutely
essential in cases of suspected food poisoning if subsequent investigation
is to be of any real use. (2) The large increase in deaths due
to cancer of the lung. This is in line with the national figure and is
a matter causing considerable concern. So far no completely
adequate answer has been produced for the increase—though there
can be no reasonable doubt that smoking to excess is one of the
important factors in the causation of the disease.
Protection against poliomyelitis is now generally acceptable but
it does not seem that supplies of vaccine will be sufficient to cope
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