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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 1959. The general
arrangement of the items is as in previous years.
The Borough birth rate continues well below the national rate and among the
lowest in the 26 Middlesex districts. The still birth and infant mortality rates,
however, maintain their position at lower levels than the County and national rates.
The Borough death rate has shown little change in recent years and is closely
comparable with the County and national rates. Cancer and degenerative heart disease
are still the most frequent causes of death. Deaths from cancer of the lung increase
steadily and so does the consumption of cigarettes. Propaganda against cigarette
smoking seems to make no progress against the concentrated trade advertisements and
until the smoking of cigarettes is as socially unacceptable as the chewing of tobacco,
youth will continue to accept the risk.
The expected increased incidence of measles occurred. There was also a considerable
increase in the notifications of scarlet fever. The disease continued to
be mild, but watch must be maintained as this disease in the past has increased in
virulence after years of slight severity. While the newer drugs have done much to
reduce the incidence and severity of respiratory infection, the position in regard to
gastro-intestinal infections is far from satisfactory. Poliomyelitis is now known to
be initially a bowel infection, dysentery continues unabated, food poisoning is still
prevalent and apart from notified cases, information reaches the Department of many
cases of gastro-enteritis, and most of these are probably of infective origin. The
commonest mode of spread of intestinal infection is by contaminated hands and a great
improvement in personal hygiene is needed. Washing of the hands after use of the toilet
and before preparing food must become a regular habit by all, and facilities for such
washing must be made available everywhere.
The absence of diphtheria, poliomyelitis, etc. may give rise to a false sense
of security. Recent small outbreaks of diphtheria and poliomyelitis elsewhere in the
country have shown that the risk is ever present. During the year there were 1,275
live births, but only the following numbers of children under the age of one year were
protected - smallpox, 759: diphtheria, 897; whooping cough 813; poliomyelitis, 478.
These proportions are not high enough to give community protection, and parents should
give serious consideration to this matter.
Much time throughout the year has been devoted to action in regard to the Clean
Air Act. Smoke Control Order No. 1 was confirmed by the Minister on 23rd June, while
Smoke Control Order No, 2 was submitted in December to the Minister for confirmation.
The reaction to Smoke Control Orders has generally been helpful and co-operative
though there has been some expression of opinion that factories and railways should be
tackled first, that adequate supplies of smokeless fuels are not available and that
domestic smoke is of little importance. It must be known to many that factories are
increasingly changing over to oil fuel and that great strides are being made in the
replacement of steam traction by electric or diesel locomotion on the railways. There
are adequate supplies of coke though the quantity of other smokeless fuels available
is still limited. Delivery delays occur, as with raw coal, in the winter months. Consumers
should build up a stock as far as is possible during the summer. Because of the
greater bulk of smokeless fuel storage difficulties may arise and retailers could
help greatly by agreeing to deliver in small quantities. The following facts about
domestic smoke should be noted; (1) Smoke is unburned coal and consists of a mixture
of carbon, tar and hydrocarbons. Domestic smoke, produced as it is as relatively low
temperatures contains much more tar and hydrocarbons than industrial smoke; (2) for
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