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The report published by the Royal College of Physicians in 1962 assessed the
evidence about the relationship of smoking and health and concluded that cigarette
smoking is a cause of lung cancer and bronchitis and probably contributes to the
development of coronary heart disease and various other less common diseases. The
Minister of Health in his circular No. 6/62, considered that health education should
increasingly emphasise the risks of smoking and he asked Councils to use all their
channels of health education to make the conclusions of the report widely known and
to bring home to the public the dangers to health of smoking, particularly cigarettes.
It was also emphasised in the report that this effort would probably bear most
fruit if education was undertaken in the schools before the children had had an
opportunity to acquire the habit or of becoming addicted to it.
To augment the publicity campaign, the Central Council for Health Education
has made available to local authorities mobile units equipped with visual aids and
staffed by two male graduate lecturers specially trained and briefed to deliver talks
on the topic of smoking and health. Finchley Borough Council has taken advantage
of this offer and a programme, consisting of 22 sessions at schools and youth clubs,
has been arranged for 1963.
MASS RADIOGRAPHY
The Mass Radiography Unit 5B visited Finchley during 1961 and a report on
the survey was included in my Annual Report for that year. It is understood that
arrangements will be made for a further survey in 1964.
LAUNDRY SERVICE FOR THE INCONTINENT
The laundry service, introduced in 1957 to assist in the problems concerning
incontinent persons, operates in accordance with the provisions of Section 42 of the
Middlesex County Council Act, 1956.
The washing machine is installed at the Disinfecting Station and arrangements
are made for articles to be collected and delivered on Tuesday and Friday of each
week. The cost of the service is borne by the local authority.
The number of persons receiving assistance at the beginning of the year 3
The number of persons for whom the service was recommended and
subsequently authorised by the Medical Officer of Health or by the
Public Health Inspectors during the year 13
The number of persons receiving assistance at the end of the year 10
During 1962, 645 collections of articles were made.
27