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4
and responsibility. The problem is a difficult and complex one,
and we must not be hasty to criticise, but there appears to be in
some cases a need for the awakening of responsibility of the family
to its aged members as well as to its younger members. At times,
one also wonders if the old attribute of neighbourliness is not also
on the decline. Whilst examples of the highest degree of neighbourliness
come to my notice, there are occasions when a little neighbourliness
would be preferable to, and take some of the burden off, the
official social services which can be overburdened.
It seems no time since I welcomed the disbandment of the
Civil Defence Services as giving the Health Department the happy
prospect of being able to apply its whole energy to its preventive
health functions, but Civil Defence has again begun to require
the consideration and some of the energy of the Department.
Housing conditions continue to absorb a large proportion of
the time of the Department and although during the year no action
was taken in regard to demolitions or clearance orders, certain
action in this sphere will become necessary in the near future.
The most prevalent infectious disease was Measles which
reached considerable proportions. A mild type of Dysentery was
more widespread than usual and is referred to elsewhere in my
report. It is gratifying to report for the third year in succession
the absence of Diphtheria and to note that only one case of Poliomyelitis
occurred. The reduction in the number of cases of Respiratory
Tuberculosis by twenty-two was a very welcome improvement,
but a regrettable feature was that the previous year's marked
reduction in the number of deaths has not been maintained.
The fact that Diphtheria has been absent from Enfield for
three years in succession must not be interpreted as a sign of its
complete elimination for all time, but rather as an encouragement
and challenge to continue our efforts to secure that all children
receive adequate and timely protection by immunisation in order
to maintain this freedom from a serious disease. Only by continued
vigilance and attention to immunisation can Diphtheria be kept at
bay, and the number of parents accepting this service for their
children is not sufficiently high to warrant any sense of security.
The Birth-rate of 14.45 showed only a slight increase on the
previous year's record low figure of 14.31, and was well below the
figures for the War years and immediate Post-war years, and, of
course, was only about half that recorded each year in the early
years of the century. I am glad to record that the Still Birth-rate
was markedly lower than the previous year.