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6
To the Chairman and Members of the Orpington Urban District
Council.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is not my intention to write a long preface to this report, as it
covers the year 1954 when Dr. Tapper was still your Medical Officer
of Health; indeed, he did not retire until early 1955 after a relatively
short but very notable period of office, the full impact of which will
be felt in the years to come. He never failed to champion any cause
if he conscientiously thought it was right, even at the risk of courting
unpopularity, and the Public Health department prospered greatly
under his leadership.
Vital statistics are never a subject to arouse much enthusiasm,
but it is worth recording the bare facts that the birth rate is up and
that the infant mortality and death rates are down, and these are all
indices of a healthy state of the population, especially as in all three
instances they compare very favourably with the country as a whole.
This view is confirmed by the weekly figures of first claims for sickness
benefit received by the local office of the Ministry of National Insurance—which
average figure per week did not quite reach the 200 mark
even at its height in January, and dropped as low as 92 in August.
It is not without interest to speculate on some of the causes of
this very satisfactory state of affairs. Undoubtedly they are numerous
and varied, but the general prosperity associated with a high level of
employment must be one of the most telling factors. There are also
the gradually improving housing position, and the fact that the results
of our educational programme over the years must be having its effect
on the general health of the population. A well-informed generation
has the knowledge, experience and ability to take full advantage of
the facilities available for its use, whether it be for instance Mass
X-ray, or welfare foods. While on the subject of education, it might
not be inappropriate to mention the department's constant efforts to
inculcate the urgency of cleanliness, especially in the handling of food,
which are made so constantly, perhaps rather unobstrusively, but we
hope none the less effectively. Nevertheless, there is certainly room
for expansion in this direction, and with the full co-operation of the
public and the food trade, one looks forward with hope to steady
improvement and expansion in this service.
The low rate of sickness in Orpington also suggests that the incidence
of psychological ailments must be comparatively low. I therefore
submit that, generally speaking, Orpington must be a happy community,
for unhappiness is undoubtedly the fundamental cause for a
great deal of chronic ill-health. Another important feature of the district
which must contribute to its healthiness, is the wise provision
made for numerous open-air recreational facilities which must make a
great if immeasurable contribution.