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sees, however, numerous very young children, dressed only in
bathing costumes, splashing about in these ponds, one wonders
how they could have got there, dressed as they are, without
parental supervision. One can only hope that the good sense of
Southgate parents will make them appreciate the serious risks
which these children are running.
There is no wish to restrict either the liberty of parents or the
pleasure of children. It is merely a matter of drawing the attention
of parents to a safety measure which I feel quite sure they would
wish to adopt. Indeed, I cannot think that any Southgate parents
would wittingly expose their children to what is a quite unnecessary
risk.
The argument is sometimes used—not, I hasten to add, by the
Southgate Borough Council—that children have entered these ponds
for years without coming to any harm. That may be so. But less
than ten years have elapsed since the virus which causes polio'
myelitis first appeared in this country in any strength, since that
time, poliomyelitis has become more or less indigenous in England
and Wales. In short, the risk of contracting this disease is, whether
we like it or not, very much greater now than was the case not
so very long ago. It is for this reason that I stress, once again,
the fundamental need for taking sensible precautions.
Measles.
As noted elsewhere, only 43 cases of measles were notified
during the year, as against 888 cases in 1955.
These facts indicate that 1956 was not a "measles" year.
Once again, the disease itself was mild in the extreme.
Pertussis.
One hundred and fifty cases of pertussis were notified during
the year, as against 25 in 1955. This figure is surprising, bearing
in mind the low incidence of measles, which almost invariably runs
parallel to that of pertussis ; and the fact that so many of our
children have been immunised by the combined method, which
includes an appreciable measure of protection against pertussis. It
must be remembered, however, that inoculation against pertussis
does not claim and never has pretended to claim full protection
against this disease. Our only claim has been that many children
inoculated against pertussis will remain fully protected for several
years, at least until pertussis ceases to be a killing or even a dangerous
disease; and that the remaining children inoculated, if they
develop the disease, will only do so in a mild form. When the percentage
of children in the Borough, inoculated against pertussis, is a
41