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5
Establishments 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 20 licences were renewed. 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's staff, the Chief Public Health Inspector's staff, and the Public Relations
Officer, gave talks in schools (Table 11). In some schools "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 clinic 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.
Twelve talks were given to five religious and social organisations and the staff of a local hospital
and keen interest was shown in the five subjects chosen for discussion.
The Chairman and a member of the Home Safety Committee gave two talks on accidents in the home
to religious and social organisations.
During the year posters entitled "Lung cancer deaths up again," "Wash your hands" and "For
health's sake keep the lid on" were exhibited on the Council's 53 poster sites, in the four health clinics and
six libraries. Leaflets and bookmarks on various subjects were displayed in the Health Department and were
available to members of the public.
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 in the past 50 years is a reflection mainly of improved living conditions. Better
housing and 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 of various diseases for 1963 and 1964 is shown in
Table 13.
Diphtheria
For the tenth year running there were no cases of diphtheria.
Dysentery
The number of cases confirmed (104) increased compared with 1963 (72). This was due to an outbreak
which occurred at the Evefield Day Nursery. Forty-five children and staff were affected, although only
15 had symptoms. The Nursery was closed to new entrants on the 19th November until the outbreak was
cleared up just before Christmas.
Food poisoning
There were no outbreaks of food poisoning. There was an increase in the number of cases confirmed
(41) compared with 1963 (17).
Measles
Nine hundred and fifty-one cases were notified compared with 1,948 in 1963. During the first nine
months of the year the number of cases notified (395) fell sharply following the epidemic in 1963, but during
the last quarter the disease again reached epidemic proportions when 556 cases occurred. There were no deaths
from the disease.
Meningococcal infection
One case was notified but re-diagnosed meningitis.
Ophthalmia neonatorum
There was no impairment of vision in the case of ophthalmia neonatorum.
Poliomyelitis
It is pleasing to report that for the second year running there were no cases of poliomyelitis, which
is probably the result of the steady increase in the number of people protected against the disease.