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3
ANNUAL REPORT
of the
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH, 1953
To the Chairman and Members of the Urban District Council of
Enfield.
I have pleasure in presenting my Annual Report for 1953.
The area of the Urban District is 12,401 acres. The population
is approximately 109,300 and the number of inhabited
houses 30,352.
From a Public Health aspect, Enfield presents a most interesting
picture with its almost complete variety of conditions affecting
health, including all types of residential properties, industrial
areas, and rural areas with agricultural and horticultural properties ;
and consequently the Health Department must be fully alive to the
most varied methods of Public Health control to meet the problems
of such diversity of conditions. In spite of Enfield's fortunate
possession of much natural open space, the Council has wisely
provided many conveniently situated parks and open spaces,
including an up-to-date open-air swimming pool, which contribute
materially to the health of the inhabitants, but I wonder at times,
if full advantage is taken of these amenities.
The activities of the Department have progressed along the
usual lines, the main effort being directed to the prevention and
control of infectious disease, remedying or demolishing insanitary
property, promoting food hygiene, prevention of statutory nuisances
and a host of allied functions. The public can discover a health
content in most matters which annoy or affect them and our sphere
of activity is ever widening. Preventive medicine does not usually
lend itself to immediate spectacular results. The prevention of
illness or ill-health does not produce publicity but the outbreak
of illness does. Fortunately, no serious outbreak of serious illness
occurred during the year and some credit to the Department can
be taken for prompt preventive action whenever conditions were
conducive to the spread of illness in the community.
Elsewhere I refer to the help the public can give in selfprotection
by Immunisation and Vaccination ; and in many other
ways, by the simple adherence to elementary methods of hygiene,