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109
From year to year different medical subjects seem to gain
pre-eminence according to the number of deaths which arise.
Now-a-days we are no longer threatened by the old fashioned
epidemics of typhoid and cholera which ravaged previous populations,
but we are confronted with cardio-vascular illnesses
and cancer. Cancer in different sites is associated with varied
causes. Radio-active substances, irritation from dust such as
arsenic and chrome, cancer of the bladder in persons who are
engaged in work with aniline dyes are just a few examples.
As far as industry is concerned, legislation has now been introduced
to reduce the possibilities of cancer. The Public Health
Department however, has as its primary cancer concern, cancer
of the lung. The majority of medical men now accept the evidence
for an association between cigarette smoking and cancer. This
evidence is based upon a statistical analysis by Professors
Dodd and Hill, and also by certain experimental evidence. In
1960, 22,000 people died from cancer of the lung. If the word
epidemic means something falling upon us, we are in the midst
of a cancer epidemic.
The obvious age group to approach is the school population,
for once smoking becomes a habit it is very difficult to break.
We propose therefore to conduct a special campaign over the
next five years in the schools. It is all very well for Doctors and
Health Visitors to speak about health subjects but we must have
some means of finding out whether their efforts are effective.
This means in practice that any approach to a large section
of the community must be as scientific as possible. We intend to
institute Health Education about cancer and smoking in 50% of
the schools in Ilford and to use the other 50% as a control.
At the end of five years we shall analyse questionnaires and
hope by this means to come to some conclusion as to the effectiveness
of Health Education as regards cancer and smoking in the
schools.
As I said previously, Health Education is intimately
connected with most Public Health activities, but the commencement
of this campaign against cancer and smoking will be a
special effort early in 1961. The General Practitioners in Ilford
have been asked to co-operate with Health Education and cancer
and they have been told that our resources such as film strips,
films, slides, projector, tape recorders are available for their use.
I shall also lecture to voluntary organisations such as Youth
Clubs, Church Groups and the W.V.S. and hope by this means
over the years to make responsible citizens aware of the dangers