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3
ANNUAL REPORT
of the
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH, 1962.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of Enfield.
I have pleasure in presenting my Annual Report for 1962.
In a Borough like Enfield, with its wide variety of environmental
conditions, ranging from open country through residential
property of all kinds, commercial premises, and shopping centres,
to industiial areas, the problems of environmental health are
indeed varied, complex and all-embracing. A study of the list of
inspections and visits made by the staff shows this clearly.
However, the basic problems of control of infectious disease,
provision and maintenance of fit dwellings, sound drainage and
sanitary disposal of sewage and refuse, clean, pure and wholesome
food and water, clean air, and freedom from excessive noise, remain
the essential objectives of the Health Department. All of these
have been pursued with vigour during the year under review, and
satisfactory results can be claimed.
There is one aspect of healthy living, namely, exercise, to
which I have referred in the past and which is essentially a matter
for the individual. Enfield is more fortunately placed than many
other districts in its possession of parks and open spaces, so let us
make full use of them. Each one of us who is employed in a sedentary
occupation should take the opportunities presented, to participate
in some form of outdoor activity related, of course, to age,
sex, and physical ability. There is excuse only for few to lead a
completely sedentary life.
Modern conditions of living make this more important than
ever. "Good Health" cannot be magically summoned from a
glass or a bottle, and means more than simply freedom from illness.
Although the genetic factors in health and illness are important
and becoming more fully understood, a possible relationship is
suspected between lack of exercise, faulty diet, and some forms of
heart disease. Exercise may therefore be considered a necessary
part of preventive medicine.
Although strict observance of what is considered to be a
healthy way of life is no absolute guarantee of fitness and freedom
from disease, and some people seem to ignore it with impunity, the