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(1)
BOROUGH OF MALDEN AND COOMBE
ANNUAL REPORT
of
THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
1961
Public Health Department,
Municipal Offices,
New Maiden.
July, 1962.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Borough of Maiden and Coombe.
Lady and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit my Annual Report for the year
1961 which has been prepared in accordance with the Ministry of Health
Circular No.1/62.
The statistics recorded in the body of the report do not reveal
any marked deviation from those of previous years. One disturbing
feature is a continual steady rise in the number of deaths from Lung
Cancer. The report includes for the first time a table shewing the
pattern of deaths from this disease over the past few years. There
is little doubt that the increase in incidence is caused by controllable
features in the environment, though the exact part played by each of
them has yet to be correctly defined. Heavy cigarette smoking is
unquestionably a significant causal agent while atmospheric pollution
is also suspected to be a contributory factor. It is difficult to see
what steps will be effective in controlling the increasing frequency
of this disease. Perhaps the most effective means would be within the
family, by the example of parents having been made aware of the facts
and encouraged towards non-smoking. The heroic image associated with
the glamour of smoking in the minds of children has to be transformed
on a national and international scale if our young people are to be
dissuaded from adopting this habit which has grown to be so much a part
of our everyday life. Producers of films and plays both for Television
and Cinema, even of comic papers and strips, can all play a valuable