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HEALTH PROPAGANDA
Education of the public in matters of health continued throughout the year by means
of poster publicity, the distribution of leaflets, talks to householders, to canteen workers,
to food handlers in shops and factories, and to meetings of associations.
The need for education is considerable, particularly for hygiene in the proper handling
of food to be consumed by the public. Licking of fingers by shop assistants dealing with
sticky articles, the handling of food on display by customers, the leaving of food which
will not be subsequently cooked open to the air for long periods and thus having it subjected
to risk of fly contamination, the continuous use of dirty working clothes or overalls, touching
food with long dirty finger nails, coughing over food by shop assistants and customers,
blowing into paper bags, are all practices which still, unfortunately, appear to be fairly
widespread and requiring education by word of mouth to obtain discontinuance of them.
There is no doubt that the individual talk by a member of the Health Department to a
food handler, or the small discussion group where everyone can raise questions and have
them answered are the best methods for teaching hygiene, as there is an appreciable amount
of resistance on the part of the public to poster and leaflet publicity, as also to publicity in
newspapers and cinema films. There has been a surfeit of advertisement publicity which
results in members of the public literally being unable to see advertisements unless they
are of a most startling and unusual nature.
An alphabet of hygiene is being published in the Council's Civic News Sheet, each
letter linked to a particular item of Public Health work and an explanatory paragraph
attached to it couched in non-technical language. The circulation of this Civic News
Sheet is considerable. About 2,000 copies are printed. It is issued free in the Town
Hall, Information Office, Libraries, etc., to the general public and to organisations who
wish to have it. Some of the organisations may have two to three hundred members so
the potential reading public for this Sheet is very large.
Special subjects for poster publicity during the year were influenza, measles, nutrition,
fresh air and exercise, food poisoning and venereal diseases.
ESTABLISHMENTS FOR MASSAGE AND SPECIAL TREATMENT
Ten establishments were inspected for licence Under this heading and all were found
satisfactory for the purpose which was intended.
Details are as follows:—
Purpose No. of Licences
Chiropody only 4
Massage, Chiropody and Electrical Treatment 6
MEDICAL EXAMINATION OF BOROUGH COUNCIL EMPLOYEES
During 1952, a total of 99 medical examinations were carried out on members of the
Borough Council staff. Forty-seven examinations were carried out with regard to suitability
for employment on the Council's permanent staff, and 44 for entry into the
Sickness Pay Scheme.
Eight employees reaching completion of their Sickness Pay entitlement, received
special medical examinations and reports were made to the appropriate Committee of the
Council.
SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE BOROUGH
Water Supply and Water Services
Water is supplied to nearly the whole of the district by the South-West Suburban
Water Company. The Metropolitan Water Board supplies a small area in the southern
part of the district, and the Rickrnansworth & Uxbridge Valley Water Company a small
area in the northern part. The supply is satisfactory, both in quality and quantity.
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