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8
THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE
This, surely one of the most important and far-sighted directives that
have ever come from Whitehall (or rather Elephant and Castle, the present
address of the Ministry of Health), has already had its first annual revision
and the tenth year is now two years later. There is, however, a cloud in the
sky, already larger than a man's hand; the price of land. A difficult
decision will be required when it is necessary to purchase land, already
earmarked for health purposes in the ten year plan, when prices in Ilford
may be £10,000 to £40,000 per acre. Perhaps even this figure will appear
modest when we will be reviewing the plan in, say, five years' time. One
thing is certain, should we not proceed in this regard, the whole plan will
be at hazard.
CHILDREN'S TEETH
The British Dental Association, some M.Ps. and many commentators
have been deploring a supposed breakdown of the school dental service
and suggesting a variety of remedies. As so often happens, their information
is out of date; for the school dental service, certainly in Ilford,
has never been so thriving. In 1960 we had the equivalent of two whole
time dentists, 1961 — 3.8 and 1962 — 6. In 1960, 6.5% of pupils had school
dental inspections, 1961 — 32%, 1962 — 51.5% and the figure for the
current year will be even higher. In Ilford a considerable amount of chairside
work is done by private dentists, and we have, in fact, wondered at
times if there would in the future be sufficient such work for our own
dentists, so we do not intend at the moment to prepare and equip further
dental surgeries, even though we have to turn down applications from
dentists asking for sessional work. It is intended, however, to expand the
health education aspects of dentistry, and in pursuance of this one of our
dentists will this year be attending the summer school of the Central
Council for Health Education.
Mention of teeth will inevitably remind readers of the fight over the
fluoridation of water supplies. The borough council has expressed its
approval in principle for this beneficent measure, but the well-organised,
though small, opposition will not accept defeat. Council members and
officers are still bombarded with propaganda, written, personal, and over
the telephone. My correspondents write me long letters full of misinformation,
even misquoting their own source "The National Pure Water Association
for the Prevention of Water Pollution", apparently not aware that
this Association has,not been hesitant in sending me their literature. This
measure can no longer be considered experimental, and when all wordy
warfare has ceased (and this is no place to continue a lengthy technical
argument), it remains evident that the flcorideion, identical in both