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matter how vast the Maternity and Child Welfare, the School
Medical and prevention of Infectious Disease services in any District
may be, it most be realised that as a health measure none of these
services can be fully efficacious unless the residents of the District
are properly and healthily housed.
It is extraordinary to realise how little the evils of overcrowding
are realised, not only by those who live in satisfactory
conditions, but even by those who are overcrowded.
It has been my experience to find in the District families in
receipt of as much as £10 and £13 per week who were living under
conditions of severe overcrowding. One would have thought that
such families with an income so high would have looked for better
accommodation.
On the other hand there are many families in the District too
poor to pay adequate rent for the accommodation they need.
Housing must be looked upon as a health measure of the utmost
importance, and I sincerely trust that now that a standard of overcrowding
has been officially laid down, conditions will improve
throughout the Country.
One most important point is that from 1st July, 1936, every
rent book will have to contain a statement as to the maximum
number of persons who may inhabit a house, and it will be impossible
for the landlord or tenant to claim ignorance of this standard
as an excuse for overcrowding.
The standard is admittedly low, but at least it is a step in the
right direction, and it is to be hoped that when overcrowding has
been abated on this standard, a higher one will be adopted.
Recent years have shewn that Diphtheria is a preventable
disease, and you will be pleased to hear that the propaganda that
has been carried out is resulting in an increased demand for
immunisation against this disease, in Enfield.
There is no reason why Diphtheria should not be practically
wiped out in the District. It is true that in recent years the number
of cases notified has been low. I would take this opportunity of
warning the public that it must not be assumed from this that
Diphtheria is disappearing from Enfield. I have but little doubt
that unless the public is protected by immunisation, an epidemic
of this disease will once more arise and the fact that the number of
notified cases has been low for the past few years will tend to make
this epidemic more widespread and more severe.