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PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT,
92 BATH ROAD,
HOUNSLOW.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of Heston and Isleworth,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit my Annual Report for the year 1955. The report has
been prepared on the lines suggested by the Ministry of Health and for convenience
the larger statistical tables have been grouped together at the end of the report.
The birth rate was the lowest in the Borough records and the death rate showed
little change from recent years. The infant mortality rate was lower than in 1954
but the problems of prematurity, birth asphyxia and congenital defects still remain
unsolved. Cancer and degenerative diseases of the circulatory system continue to be
the chief causes of death.
Accidents take an appreciable toll of human life and cause much temporary and
permanent disability. The number of mechanically propelled vehicles on our roads
steadily increases. It is difficult to think of circumstances that would justify or
of roads permitting with any degree of safety the "cruising speeds" claimed for
modern cars. The accident record of our best roads does little to support the view
that new roads are the solution of the road accident problem. Reduction in road
accidents can be brought about only by the exercise of care and consideration by all
road users and the faster the rate of travel the greater the care should be. Nearly
75 per cent, of all deaths from accidents in the home occur at ages 65 and over and
most of these are due to falls. This matter should have special attention from all
having any responsibility for the care of the aged. Burns and scalds of young
children are still too frequent and like most accidents only too often could have been
avoided by reasonable care and forethought.
Apart from the anticipated high incidence of measles the infections giving rise
to most concern during the year were poliomyelitis, dysentery and food poisoning.
The virus of poliomyelitis can be recovered from the bowel of both cases and contacts
and the germs causing dysentery and many outbreaks of food poisoning are found in the
faeces of cases and carriers. While no food vehicle has been shown to be associated
with outbreaks of poliomyelitis and it is unusual to find one associated with
dysentery, it is difficult to avoid the impression that lack of personal hygiene,
which is such an important factor in food poisoning, may play a part in the spread of
other diseases. Training in personal hygiene and especially cleansing of the hands
should begin in infancy and the practice be maintained throughout life.
There are no signs of any reduction in the incidence of food poisoning. While
the type of germ and the source of infection cannot be proved in all cases there is
overwhelming evidence that the following measures could reduce markedly the occurrence
of food poisoning;-
(a) strict personal hygiene by all food handlers
(b) rapid cooling, followed by proper refrigeration, of all meat dishes not intended
for immediate consumption.
Scrupulous cleanliness of the hands, including attention to minor cuts and sores,
will reduce the chance of contamination of food and rapid cooling and refrigeration
will prevent multiplication of any bacteria which may have gained access to the food.
There is a tendency to look outside ourselves for sources of spread of infection
and in this respect the following extract from the report of the Chief Medical Officer
of the Ministry of Health is of interest:-
"The telephone seems to have a recurrent attraction for armchair hygienists who
periodically raise the bogey of infections which have been or can be transmitted
by its means. Numerous investigations have been made since the opening of the
present century to determine whether, in fact, there is much risk of the spread
of disease, especially by those instruments in public call boxes, and all have
demonstrated that the risk is negligible."
Section 85(2) of the Housing Act, 1936 states- "the authority shall secure that
in the selection of their tenants a reasonable preference is given to persons who are
occupying insanitary or overcrowded houses, have large families or are living under
unsatisfactory housing conditions." In other words housing is an essential part of
the Council's health services and should be closely linked with the Council's efforts
to deal with unfit houses.
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