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deaths as compared to 16 for the year 1957. Despite this increase
in infant deaths, the figure of 20 deaths per thousand live births compares
very favourably with the national average of 22.5.
SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES:
The sanitary circumstances of the Borough, housing, slum clearance,
the inspection and supervision of food are fully recorded in the
following pages and make interesting reading. This work is never
ending and makes a considerable contribution to the health and wellbeing
of our citizens. Apropros of this it is pleasing to record that
all dwelling houses in the Borough are now supplied with water from
the public water mains direct to the houses (see page 61). Thus we
see the culmination of one very important aspect of the public health
which has been proceeding quietly and unobtrusively for several
generations.
CLEAN AIR ACT, 1956:
We are now on the threshold of commencing a task of quite the
same magnitude as the provision of a water supply and that is the
clearing of smoke from our atmosphere. Technical details can be
read on page 62 of this report. This work will involve the visiting
of every dwelling house in the Borough and plans have been made to
make Finchley a smoke free area by 1971. Statisticians have estimated
that the annual cost of air pollution to the nation as a whole is in
the region of £500,000,000 basing this figure on various items such
as the inefficient burning of fuel with the production of smoke,
laundry costs and the defacement of buildings, but a more important
and incalculable factor has emerged in recent years and that is the
effect of air pollution on health. Bronchitis, particularly chronic
bronchitis, or the English disease as it is sometimes known, has been
related to air pollution. Investigations carried out in various parts of
the country have indicated that the more polluted the area, the greater
the number of bronchial illnesses that occur.
COMMUNICABLE AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE:
I am pleased to report that 1958 was a healthy year from the
point of view of notifiable infectious diseases, there being no cases
of diphtheria, enteric fever or smallpox—but one case of poliomyelitis
occurred and this was of a very mild type. This compares favourably
with 12 cases notified in 1957. As will be seen in the body of this
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