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43
SECTION IV.— HEALTH PROPAGANDA.
As is to be expected health education now demands a greater proportion of the
time of the Department, and there is evidence that, not only the converted, but the
unconverted in health matters are being reached. This means of course that their
attention has been attracted and their interest aroused. As it is necessary to foster
that interest and to provide more instruction in health matters, every endeavour is
made to bring the Council's health services to the notice of the inhabitants of the
Borough and to supply instruction in the simple rules of healthy living and the
prevention of disease. The Council's powers to provide health education are contained
in Section 42 of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1926.
The Council's activities on health propaganda may be classified as follows:—
(a) Health Week.— The following is a copy of the report of the Public Health
Committee to the Council:—
"During the week 31st October to 5th November, we hired the Arcade Hall,
Eltham High Street, which seats 240 persons (without the gallery), and arranged our
programme on a sessional basis, one session being held each afternoon and one each
evening. At each session a lecture was given and cinema films dealing with health
subjects were shown before and after the lecture. On Saturday afternoon, which
was reserved for children, it was necessary to hold a second session. A total of
3,207 persons attended during the week. The Council's cinema projector and lantern
were used during the week, and proved very satisfactory. One of the shops in the
Arcade was used as a Nursery during the afternoon sessions, and the opportunity
was taken of providing a health propaganda display in the windows. We are very
pleased with the results of this Health Week in Eltham, as there was evidence of a
definite desire for such work in this part of the Borough.
"We are grateful to the lecturers who gave their services and to those voluntary
workers who assisted in running the nursery, and to all these, in accordance with the
wishes of the Council, we have extended our sincere thanks."
(b) Health Demonstration.— There are no large halls in Eltham and it is
not possible to organise a Health Exhibition there in any way similar to that which is
organised at the Woolwich Town Hall every three years. It was felt, however, that it
might be worth while arranging a health demonstration on a small scale in the
Council's Eltham Health Centre, during a period when the building was not being
used for School Clinics. Unfortunately it clashed with a local holiday week and the
attendances were not so good as had been expected. The report to the Public Health
Committee was as follows:—