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7
effort to have themselves protected against a disease which formerly
was considered one occurring primarily in childhood, hence the
now somewhat inappropriate name of "infantile paralysis," and
possibly also part of the reason for the lack of enthusiasm on the
part of the younger adults to take advantage of the scheme for
vaccination.
Another field in which advice has frequently been given and
apparently as often rejected, is in the association so weightily
confirmed statistically, between smoking and lung cancer. One is
forcibly reminded of this by the fact that deaths from this disease
rose by a further ten compared with 1958, and at 48 in number
are by far the highest recorded since statistics were kept. Deaths
from cancer in general rose slightly, but most of the increase was
due to the above mentioned lung cancer. It is, of course,
inevitable that the number of deaths from a disease of this type
should increase as the population increases and tends to grow
older, but the increase in the lung cancer death rate is out of all
proportion after allowance has been made for these factors. I feel
that further comment at this stage on this subject is superfluous.
However, with regard to cancer in general, I do feel that it is not
a sufficiently known fact that it is a disease which treated in its
early stages is usually cured completely. Unfortunately, the cases
that one hears most about are the unsuccessful ones hence the
terrifying reputation of the complaint, but if the warning " if in
doubt, seek advice," is heeded early enough there is little doubt that
the cancer death rate would be very greatly reduced.
One of the biggest problems affecting this country, including
the area of this local authority, is bound up in the care of the
elderly. The services rendered by both statutory and voluntary
bodies are fairly comprehensive, but there is the not infrequent
problem of dealing with the senior member of society who, having
been brought up with a spirit of independence, considers that to
seek, or indeed be offered, any form of assistance is a mortal blow
to his or her own pride. While this is an admirable trait, yet
carried to the extremes that it sometimes is, it can be a great
embarrassment to those attempting to help and of course in some
cases means that the old person will eventually have to enter an
institution—an ultimate result satisfactory to no one. While there
is such a shortage of accommodation for old people, both in
hospitals and old people's homes, it is most undesirable that any
unnecessary cases should have to be admitted, and indeed, unless
more and more community care becomes available for the old folk,
institutional accommodation will never even keep up with this
problem caused by an ageing population.
Although it is not a problem which affects the Public Health
Committee specifically, it is certainly one affecting the health of