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The adjusted death rate has risen from 10.61 per 1,000 population to 11.08 (Greater
London 11.71). One reason for this rise is the susceptibility of the middle-aged male to
coronary heart disease (good living, little exercise) and cancer of the lung (cigarette
smoking). Infectious diseases dropped dramatically, scarlet fever 137 to 94, dysentery
(a minor type) from 543 to 345, pulmonary tuberculosis from 55 to 42, whooping cough
from 202 to 60, and measles from 2,695 to 432. With respect to the latter, epidemics
occur every alternate year, so to evaluate the effectiveness of measles vaccination we
must await the 1969 figures.
We were all expecting an outbreak of influenza in Britain from the new Hong Kong
virus, but as is well known, this did not happen. Precautions, at some expense, were
taken in Redbridge to immunise essential council staff, but it must not be assumed that
the money was wasted, the new virus is undoubtedly still with us, and may bethe
immunity we promoted will stand us in good stead in the winter of 1969/70.
FLUORIDATION
It is impossible in this preface to do more than briefly comment on a very few
selected items of interest, much more detail will be found in the main body of my report,
written by the principal officers concerned. However I would like to refer to the new
circular and campaign by the Department of Health and Social Security on fluoridation of
water supplies. Also the World Health Assembly of WHO in July of this year, passed
without dissent a resolution recommending the procedure as effective in reducing dental
caries and completely harmless. There are of course no waters completely devoid of
fluoride, but many are deficient, including water supplied in Redbridge, where the content
is between one quarter and one third of the recommended one part per million.
Unfortunately, our water suppliers will not proceed until there is unanimity among the
local authorities they supply and the handful of backward boroughs (not, of course,
Redbridge) are preventing the application of this useful procedure in Greater London.
IMPROVING OUR ENVIRONMENT
So much is said and written about pollution of the environment, with the suggestion
that within the near future we will all be poisoned, that a few points to the contrary
should be made. It will be noted in the report of the Chief Public Health Inspector that
the Clean Air Campaign is nearing its end and in a very few years the wholeof Redbridge
will be a smoke control zone. The atmosphere in London has improved recently out of oil
recognition, with great benefit to the health of its inhabitants. Our rivers are less
polluted, especially the Thames, where fish have been found lower down its reaches
than for many decades. In publicising the dangers from insecticides, artificial fertilisers