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44
By comparison Clean Air is "selling" well, and once having been
forced to change to a smokeless appliance even the most conservative of
coal burners have admitted the many advantages. During the year a Clean
Air Information Centre and Exhibition was held at Hanover House for
one week. This proved a good exercise in public relations and it is hoped
to make this an annual event, sited in those areas about to become smoke
controlled.
The invitation extended to professional food handlers in the Borough
to attend a short course of lectures resulted in a ten per cent response,
and although at first this seemed disappointing, enquiries revealed that
this was, in fact, quite encouraging. One of the problems here is that
employees are not eager to attend in their own time and employers are
sometimes loath to release staff during working hours. Those attending
certainly thought it worthwhile, and were made to appreciate that they are
part of a team—consisting of food handlers, the local authority and the
general public, who all have a part to play in clean food. In fact, recent
national figures indicate that whilst there has been a most encouraging
reduction in the incidence of food poisoning outbreaks in catering establishments,
the same cannot be said of cases occurring in the home. The food
manufacturing industry have done much to put their house in order, but
have no control over their products after distribution when mishandling
or abuse by the consumer may lead to unpleasant consequences.
The attitude of the great majority of the community to mental health
is still that of the ostrich. They would rather think that mental illness is
not their concern and there is much scope to promote their awareness
of the problem and let them know what can and is being done. Eleven
talks on mental health were given during the year and in 1966 there will
be a mental health week in Harrow.
The theme of the departmental exhibition at the Delegate Conference
was based on past, present and future. A statistical comparison of the
incidence of infectious disease, infant mortality, and maternal mortality
between 1934 when Harrow as we now know it was formed and 1964
indicated the progress made in these important indices of the health of a
community, and illustrated some of the reasons for the results achieved.
The future showed a family tree of the Health Services to be taken over
by the new Borough during the year, and photographs showed some of
the premises and activities which have now been transferred to the direct
control of the Borough. A further exhibit on Home Safety featured the
Children's Nightdress Regulations, and the dangers associated with the
use of flammable material for making up nightdresses within the home.
Following a press release on firework accidents, there was a reduction in
the number of cases treated in local hospitals, another example of voluntary
co-operation between the Government and the Industry who have
done much to make the modern firework basically safer, provided it is
handled as instructed.