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Public Health Department,
ELmfield House,
High Street,
Teddington.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of Twickenham.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit my Annual Report for 1954 on the health and
sanitary conditions of the Borough together with the supplement containing
the statistical tables for 1953 as required by the Ministry of Health.
The health of the people in the Borough is reasonably good and the sanitary
circumstances fairly satisfactory. This does not mean that we can be complacent;
there is always a mighty amount to be done in improving health,
alleviating sickness and in improving environmental standards. All this goes
on continuously and calls for no special comment.
This year the report consists mainly of two contributions to preventive
medicine. The first is an attempt to set down in simple form a working
hypothesis on the principles governing human conduct. The second is a
summary of a research into the ailments of old age.
The Minister of Health has asked how co-operation between the various
branches of the health service is proceeding. Co-operation limps along; each
branch casts wary side-long glances at the others to see who is getting the biggest
share of the health services financial pie. Reform of local government is in the
air. At least, for health administration purposes, if for nothing else, I would
like to see the whole country divided into about 200 units, the average population
in each being about 250,000. Each could be an all-purpose health
authority; it could have the functions now carried out by district sanitary
authorities and by county health authorities, it could be a hospital authority
and it could have the local executive council functions for general practitioners
and pharmacists. In this way we would get real integration and co-operation
within the health service. We would certainly save a lot of friction and irritation
and possibly a lot of money as well.
I beg to acknowledge my indebtedness to the Chairman and members of
the Public Health Committee for their helpfulness and support, which is always
of the greatest encouragement. I desire also to acknowledge with thanks the
friendly co-operation and help which I have always received from my colleagues
in the other departments of the Corporation and the other members of the
Council.
I am,
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,
JOHN MADDISON,
Medical Officer of Health.
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