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The County Council opened a new clinic in Plevna Road backing
on to the Town Hall in September, 1962. At this clinic there are
immunisation sessions, ante-natal clinics, minor ailment clinics for school
children, physiotherapy, ultra-violet light treatment, specialist clinics
and infant welfare sessions. The so-called welfare foods are also
available, but at a somewhat higher price than in the past. The new
clinic replaced a rather dingy dilapidated building at the side of the Town
Hall, Fore Street and the change seems to be greatly appreciated by the
mothers and children of Edmonton. Another new clinic cheek by jowl with
a library at the junction of Ridge Avenue and Church Street was still being
built by the Borough Council for the County Council at the close of the
year.
Once the new central clinic in Plevna Road was available the
County Council was able to surrender to the Borough the temporary building
they had taken over in Pymmes Park in 1948. The building was then
renovated and altered by the Borough Council and let to the Edmonton
Welfare Association at a nominal rent. The Pymmes Park Old Peoples' Club
which had been fitting in as best they could for some years in the
refreshment rooms at the park moved gratefully into these new premises and
the membership of the club rose sharply to 250. This building now known
as "Hollywood House" is used as an all-day club for both men and women and
chiropody sessions are provided by the Red Cross twice a week. It is
hoped that in 1963 or 1964 in co-operation with the County Council and its
Area Health Committee, an elderly persons advice clinic may be set up in
the premises at present used for chiropody.
In November we tried to press further forward with smoke control
at family level and a team of two lecturers from the Central Council for
Health Education toured the schools in Edmonton for ten days giving
illustrated talks on the dangers of smoking. The message appeared to be
received and understood even in the Sixth forms, many of the scholars will
undoubtedly comply.
The death rate has risen but so has the birth rate. Since the
number of Doctors, midwives and nurses available to deal with the
increased births was no greater than usual, one might have expected some
increase in infantile mortality but in fact, the infantile mortality rate
is reasonable. The notifications of pulmonary tuberculosis rose but
this may well have been due to the visit of the mass radiography unit in
the latter months of 1961. 1961 having been almost free from dysentery
there were, not surprisingly, a relatively large number of cases in 1962.
The main peak of incidents were in March and December and the outbreaks
were as usual, centred in schools. The incidence of measles was low and
that of whooping cough was lower still. There is no doubt that a trouble
free vaccine against measles would ease the lot of both the mother of the
toddler and the toddler himself.
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