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It must readily be admitted that we are very often preaching
to the converted. On the other hand, I have found that the burgesses
of Southgate, especially parents with young children, are
very anxious to have up-to-date and understandable information on
matters which affect their own health and the health and well-being
of their families. We are only too anxious to supply this information,
at any time and by any means. I count it a privilege that I
have been invited to talk to so many organisations in the Borough
over the past years, and that members of my staff are entering more
and more into this work. We are not only enabled in this way to
put across information which is at the same time topical and of
real practical value; we have a golden opportunity to get to know
the various organisations which are doing so much to foster community
spirit within the Borough. I am fully convinced that this
contact is valuable, and that it is no less than our duty to take all
opportunities available to us to forge the closest and most durable
links.
There is one other topic which I should like briefly to discuss.
This concerns the vital matter of mental health. It will be understood
that mental health is the concern of the County Council as local
health authority. None the less, the Borough Council cannot and,
I know, has no wish to divorce itself from consideration of such a
significant problem. Indeed, one hopes that, in the not-too-distant
future, the duties under the heading "Mental Health" may be
delegated to the Borough Council.
It need scarcely be explained that the state of the mind exerts a
most profound influence on happiness, well-being and physical
health. It has now been clearly recognised that a growing proportion
of the ills which affect the human body have their origin in
the mind. That is not to say that most of our troubles are imaginary
or that we are becoming a nation of hypochondriacs. Yet, whether
we like it or not, we must appreciate that the difficult times through
which so many people are passing not only aggravate physical
imperfections but may set in motion a chain reaction which can and
does result in active ill-health. Indeed, as we are coming to know
more and more every day, chain reactions are by no means confined
to an atomic explosion !
What contribution can the Borough Council make to what is
now a gigantic problem ?
The treatment of diseases of the mind does not concern us.
Yet it must never be forgotten that prevention is infinitely better
than cure. Our task should be to ensure, so far as lies within our
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