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about our health and how it can be safeguarded. We have
endeavoured to fill this want. We try to make quite sure
that the importance of health and not disease is continually
stressed, so that we will not foster a community of hypochondriacs,
but rather a community which appreciates positive
health at its true value and is prepared to learn how this
priceless boon can be ours.
I would conclude these few paragraphs on health
education by making reference to two specific points. The
first concerns the kiosk outside the Town Hall. Permission
was obtained from the Public Health Committee during 1955
to use this kiosk for health education purposes.
Mr. Jackaman and the Public Health Staff have been most
diligent in preparaing exhibits on various aspects of health.
These exhibits are changed approximately once every month,
and seem to have attracted attention. Here again, we
stress the value of positive health, eschewing any alarmist
propaganda which might create alarm and so destroy the value
of the display.
The second point concerns co-operation with
general practitioners. This is not, strictly apeaking,
health education, since members of the medical profession
are not likely to be in need of this service. I have,
however, always felt it my duty to keep in the closest
touch with general practitioners, without whose valuable
assistance the work of a Public Health Department would at
once be stultified. I communicate from time to time with
general practitioners, either as Medical Officer of Health
or as Area Medical Officer, letting them know of any conditions
which exist in a district, and which I think should
be brought to their notice. I invariably offer the full
co-operation of the Public Health Department, and ask for
the same co-operation in return. I am very happy to be
able to state that this co-operation has never been refused
but is forthcoming in generous measure. I have been
sufficiently long in Friern Barnet to realise that the
district is extremely fortunate in its general practitioners.
Liaison between the practitioner and the Public Health
Department is as I have just said, close and cordial.
So long as it remains so, we can at least be sure that we
are working together as a co-ordinated team.
There is every hope that a Public Health Handbook
setting out the health services available in Friern Barnet,
will shortly be available. Proofs have been received,
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