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is the ultimate remedy, compliance is in fact increasingly secured
by advice persuasion and education.®
It is a mistake to consider health education separately and something apart from
the Public Health Inspectors routine day to day work on the district. In the cause of
clean air, clean and safe food and the betterment of environmental conditions in houses,
shops, factories, workshops places of public entertainment, etc., and in the promotion
of congenial communal relationship he is continually practising health education in a
personal and practical way by giving advice and instruction on the spot. It is only as
a last resort that he uses his statutory powers by way of legal enforcement.
This type of activity is not always recognised as health education, yet by virtue
of personal contact it may possibly be more effective than the more elaborate and
spectacular activities, such as the organisation of exhibitions giving of public health
lectures and talks to specialised groups etc. It is an accepted fact that people learn
more rapidly and thoroughly by demonstration and participation than by theoretical
instruction. Public Health Inspectors meet people at their places of work, for instance
food handlers and operators of industrial plant capable of causing air pollution, visit
people in their homes, and indeed are in contact with everyone in the community whose
activities have a public health significance. The Inspector has, therefore, unrivalled
opportunities for effective health education by demonstrating on the spot how the
principles and practices of environmental sanitation should be observed, and pointing
out faulty habits and practices as they occur.
In the words of Sir George Newman (Memorandum on Public Education in Health, 1924):-
"The first and best form of public education is the effective
administration of the public health services. Sanitation itself is
a fine educator of the community, the sound practice of the science
and art of medicine is the supreme instruction of the patient. No
elaborate series of health lectures and no impressive articles in
the local Press can take the place of an effective discharge of
sanitary law and administration. For such an executive fulfilment
is itself educational in the highest degree. Consider the physical,
mental and even moral effect of a wholesome and abundant water
supply upon the people of a district. And what is the effect of
satisfactory housing accommodation? or efficient scavenging and
clean streets and curtilages? or sanitary factories and work-shops?
or of a wisely administered and comprehensive public medical service?
Their educational health value is beyond measure."
The shop windows at 280 High Road Leyton E. 10 are now being used for health
education purposes. At the time of preparing this report the environmental health
services of the local sanitary authority were represented on two occasions covering
a period of approximately 9 weeks,. one in connection with a clean air display, and
the other with clean food and food hygiene generally. This is a novel way of presenting
a small health exhibition and, judging from the number of enquiries received and
requests for technical literature, and health propaganda leaflets, it would appear that
it is proving quite successful in stimulating civic interest in the work of the depart
ment. In addition to the above mentioned activities the Medical Officer of Health and
Chief Public Health Inspector gave a number of health education talks to various
organisations throughout the year.
AIR POLLUTION
Shortly after the provisions of the Clean Air Act 1956 relating to the establishment
of smoke control areas came into force the Public Health Committee advised
the Council to convene a joint conference of local authorities for the purpose of discussing
matters of common interest in regard to air pollution and to give preliminary
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