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ANNUAL REPORT
of the
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
FOR THE YEAR 1959
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Borough of Hendon.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit my Annual Report for the year 1959.
Last year in Hendon the health statistics were good and showed no feature
worthy of special mention. The Registrar General has estimated that the population
is the same as in the previous year. The total number of deaths was the highest ever
recorded, but this is no more than an indication of the higher ratio of older people
resident in the Borough.
In the absence of statistics that show any serious cause for concern public
health must look more and more from disease prevention towards improvements on the
aesthetic side of life, and when one does so it is very satisfying to compare the
excellent standards of cleanliness found in the Council s swimming pools with the
contrasting standards of some of the beaches at popular resorts. It is satisfying
too, to see the continual improvement in housing accommodation which is gradually
replacing the olders worn-out properties of the Borough many of which have been
dealt with by this Department in recent years. The people who have moved to them
enjoy better lighting, better ventilation and freedom from dampness and when further
progress is made with Smoke Control Areas their living conditions will be better than
ever before.
Although there has been no serious outbreak of food poisoning an investigation
was made into possible sources of origin of the food poisoning germs and as a result
of this investigation attention is now drawn to the possible risk of contamination
from organisms found in certain pet foods and in organic fertilisers such as bone
meal.
Today there is scope for the promotion of better health in many directions,
Road traffic accidents are an important and not uncommon causeofmuch unhappiness
and everything possible should be done to encourage the highest possible standard of
care in drivers. More research is needed into the possible methods of making drivers
more careful. For example, we should know if breath analysis by the use of modern
medical equipment will help to reduce accidents caused by alcoholism and whether
there is a need for an alteration in motor car design because we ought to know
whether the driver of the bubble car, who sits near to the point of impact, is more
careful than the driver protected by the long bonnet of an old style sports car.
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