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5
Establishment for Massage and Special Treatment
The registration of establishments for massage and special treatment is delegated to the Borough
Council under Part XII of the Middlesex County Council Act, 1944.
During the year four new licences were issued and 22 were renewed. An exemption from licensing
was claimed under the Act for a registered member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. All the
applicants are suitable persons to hold licences, and their premises were found satisfactory.
Health education
In the modern community it is essential that all citizens have a knowledge of the principles of
health and are able to practise the simple rules of hygiene. This knowledge helps many people to avoid
mental and physical disorders and relieves general practitioners and hospitals of some of their heavy burdens
in dealing with the sick.
The department's health education programme is based mainly on lectures illustrated by filmstrips
and films. To ensure that the rising generation gets the best possible training in health, special attention is
paid to health education in schools, linked, as far as possible, with a hygiene or biology syllabus.
The Area Medical Officer and members of his staff, the Chief Public Health Inspector and his staff,
and the Public Relations Officer, gave talks in schools (table 11). Brains trusts were held at the end of
each term, which enabled the children to ask questions which it had not been possible to answer adequately
during the lectures. The questions which they put to the panel at these brains trusts showed quite clearly
that the children were interested in the subject and that they had gained much useful knowledge of health
matters.
At the health clinics mothercraft classes were held, and doctors, midwives and nurses gave many
talks, some illustrated with filmstrips. These talks were most useful in helping mothers to care for themselves
and their babies. Health visitors also gave more specific individual health education in the mothers'
homes during their routine visits (table 12). The Mothers' Club held at Stonebridge Health Clinic has been
successful and much appreciated.
Health workers themselves need post-graduate education. Films were shown and lectures given,
often by outside lecturers, to separate meetings of doctors, public health inspectors, health visitors and
day nursery matrons and their deputies. The meetings were held regularly, and the interesting discussions
that followed many of them have been most valuable in keeping staff abreast with recent advances in
technique in their special subjects.
Students studying at the University of London Institute of Education for the Diploma in Health
Education visited Willesden on many occasions over a period of five months in order to gain practical
experience.
Talks have been given to religious, social and political organisations for a number of years, but
this year the number of requests received by the department decreased considerably. Television and "bingo"
probably contributed to this decrease, but nevertheless eight talks were given and these were fairly well
attended and greatly appreciated.
To compensate the decrease in the number of lectures given to social, religious and political organisations,
the department arranged more talks to factory employees. The Medical Officer of Health and his
deputy gave these talks during lunch-hour breaks and they were well attended and very useful (Table 11).
The chairman and members of the Home Safety Committee and health visitors gave talks on
accidents in the home to religious and social organisations (see page 23).
Altogether one can look back on the year with the satisfaction of knowing that more and more
people in Willesden are being enlisted in the battle against disease.
PREVALENCE AND CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES
The declining incidence and mortality of infectious diseases such as diphtheria, scarlet fever,
measles, whooping cough and typhoid fever in the past 50 years, is a reflection mainly of improving living
standards. Better housing and better nutrition, improved ventilation and smaller families have helped to
increase resistance and reduce the possibilities of spread of infection. Health visitors and public health
inspectors have played an invaluable role in health education and in improving hygiene.
A summary of notified and confirmed cases, and deaths from various diseases for 1961 and 1962 is
shown in Table 13.
Dysentery
In common with the remainder of the country, there was an increase in the number of cases of
sonne dysentery during the year. Generally the disease is much more prevalent than before the war, but
it is usually a mild disease causing no deaths although it can produce some disruption and discomfort in
the life of the community. There were two small outbreaks:—
(1) The first occurred at Mortimer Road Day Nursery on the 11th May. Altogether 19 children
and one member of the staff were affected. They were all excluded and one child was admitted to
isolation hospital for treatment. The infection was quickly cleared up and all the children were
re-admitted by the middle of June.
(2) The second outbreak occurred at the Longstone Avenue Day Nursery on the 4th June.
Altogether, 25 children and one member of the staff were affected. They were all excluded and two
children were admitted to hospital for treatment. The infection took a long time to clear up and
it was the end of August before all the children were re-admitted.