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by no means inconsiderable. And that is almost certainly an understatement.
More and more emphasis is being placed, and very rightly
placed, each year on the risks which accompany the increasing use
of radio-active materials. It must certainly be admitted that Southgate
is not a district in which radio-activity is likely to present
itself as a serious hazard. None the less the position remains
unsatisfactory. I am personally convinced that at least a proportion
of the Public Health staff should be made fully aware, not only of
any sources of radio-active waste or fission products which exist
within the Borough or in the vicinity ; but should also have
adequate training in the measures which would have to be taken
in an emergency. Neither of these essential safeguards has yet
been provided. We are certainly told that the most careful watch
is being kept by the Medical Research Council, and that we will
at once be informed if and when the general level of radio-activity
approaches the danger point. This, of course, is a statement which
one would not attempt to contradict. Nevertheless, I still feel that
the Public Health Department should be in possession of the fullest
possible information, and that responsible members of the staff
should know exactly what they have to do should a sudden
emergency arise.
As I have said before, housing remains, will almost certainly
remain, the basis upon which the structure of environmenatl health
is erected. To this must now be added clean air, another factor of
fundamental importance in the field of preventative medicine.
These and other matters will, of course, be dealt with in the body
of the Report. One might say a special word here relative to health
education. Without health education the work of any Public
Health Department will clearly be stultified. I think it can honestly
be said that Southgate's reputation in the field of health education
has always been extremely high. We certainly have no excuse for
neglecting that inviting avenue. The people of Southgate, especially
our parents, have always been ready to listen to advice ; our local
press could not have been more co-operative over the years. Be
this as it may, it would be foolish in the extreme to rest on our
laurels. Health education must never be allowed to flag. There is
always a message which must be broadcast, advice which is both
topical and of the greatest value. It will be our object to continue
to pass these messages on, using all the media which lie to hand. In
this way, and in this way alone, can we be sure that our burgesses
are fully informed of developments in the field of health, that they
know what services are available to them, that they know where,
when and how these services can be obtained.
I have already mentioned the fact that accidents in the home
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