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To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the London Borough of Hounslow
I have the honour to present the fifth Annual
Report on the health of the people living in
the London Borough of Hounslow A table
showing the completed and future building
projects may be found immediately after this
preface It shows that a forward looking local
authority can provide the health service
projects needed by its citizens and complete
them on time according to a predetermined
plan formulated in 1965 with the unanimous
approval of the Health Committee and full
Council.
Though not as important as the people
within them, such pleasant purpose-designed
buildings do enable services both existing
and new to be given in a wider, more
efficient, friendlier and more humane framework.
There are, however, no grounds for
complacency as there is still much to be done
for the vulnerable groups of all ages in the
community for which this Council is responsible.
Both the new and the refurbished existing
services will need to be subjected to the
rigours of evaluation and technological and
operational research processes if they are to
remain responsive to the needs of the community.
The most memorable event of the year was
the opening on 28th February, 1969. of the new
building at Acton Lodge Adult Training Centre
for the mentally handicapped by Her Royal
Highness Princess Alexandra. The trainees
made it quite clear to their Royal visitor how
much they appreciated her visit and it has
been apparent to all. not only at the time, but
since that her presence on that occasion has
encouraged the trainees and staff to respond
with even greater enthusiasm in their day to
day activities. The new building contains a
training laundry multi-purpose gymnasium and
facilities for teaching domestic science and
housecraft. The original centre had previously
been honoured by a visit from Her Royal
Highness Princess Marina in December, 1962
The main tasks of the local health
authorities over many decades have been the
prevention of disease and after care, the
brunt of the middle ground of the treatment of
disease having been carried by the other two
parts of the tripartite health service, the
hospitals and the general practitioners.
It is increasingly being realised that this
artificial distinction between prevention and
cure is both illogical and harmful and now
some twenty years after the inauguration of
the National Health Service Act moves are
afoot which may culminate in the unification
of the closely allied processes of prevention,
treatment and after care.
The force of the above argument becomes
even clearer if prevention is thought of as
having three phases, primary secondary and
tertiary The last two in this context would
actually include treatment and after care in
varying proportions and thus provide a
continuity of concern for the patient
Primary prevention' is the total prevention
of disease in an individual, a community, or
nationally. When successful it can improve the
lives of the largest number of people in the
shortest space of time and is therefore the
method of choice. Perhaps the best known
example bv which primary prevention may be
accomplished in an individual is by immunisation
against a disease, but he may also be
totally protected by controlling or eliminating
the agent of the disease. When a sufficient
proportion of individuals are effectively
immunised or otherwise protected, the community
then also becomes protected. Continuous
vigilance is necessary, however as we have
so far only succeeded in suppressing most
infectious diseases rather than eliminating
them Complacency in a community can therefore
be dangerous by allowing the percentage of
its immunised citizens to fall below a critical
level; it once again brings itself face to face
with serious disease long since apparently
dismissed from conscious memory
Space precludes the use of many examples
but the following may illustrate a few of the
many benefits of primary prevention both in the
past and now For instance the dramatic increase
in population, urbanisation and overcrowding
resulting from the industrial revolution demanded
an equally dramatic attack on the accompanying
diseases of dirt and overcrowding which threatened
to engulf society of the time
Cure of these diseases was seen to be a
forlorn hope and thus attention was directed with
intelligence, energy and enthusiasm to what we
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