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INTRODUCTION BY THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH.
PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT,
2, SHALSTON VILLAS
SURBITON.
July, 1957.
To the Layor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Borough of Surbiton.
annual Report 1956.
Mr Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present the annual Report on the Public
Health and Social conditions of the Borough for 1956.
The Report is on a similar pattern to that for previous years
and follows the general lines indicated by the Minister of Health
with special reference to Ministry of health Circular 19/56.
The year covered is the first year of my office as your
Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Linzee my predecessor having
retired at the end of 1955 after serving 34 years in the office.
I wish to say immediately how grateful I am for the friendly
and encouraging way I was welcomed into office by all concerned,
The Mayor and Mayoress, Aldermen and Councillors, my fellow chief
officers led by the Town Clerk, and associated voluntary organisations.
I would like also to record the very high standards found
practised in the Public health Department led by Mr Eldridge, Chief
Public Health Inspector.
It is my intention to discharge my duties as Medical Officer
of Health with due regard to present day community needs. In the
physical field many of the old enemies of the public health have
been vanquished or held at bay, and new discoveries have given us
weapons to deal with others. The application of these new discoveries,
prevention by immunisation and vaccination, is a very important
part of the present day task. alongside this task is the ever.
urgent one of Education in Health of all sections of the community.
Indeed this is of chief importance because in all our work we depend
on the willing co.operation of the people rather than the enforcement
of penalties, though these are sometimes necessary.
More and more it is realised that breakdown of health and loss
of work is due to mental health or inefficiency, with social factors
or faulty human relationships as contributary causes. The Medical
Officer of Health is expected to take regard to all factors affect.
community health and so Social Medicine becomes as important as the
more familiar Public Health and Preventive Medicine of the past.
Surbiton is very favourably endowed in regard to physical
features, and can still retain its amenities if the rapid new
housing development is strictly controlled and not allowed to
disregard the amenity need for careful spacing.
Population: The home population is given by the Registrar.
general as 62,610, an increase of 40 on the figure for 1955 and
continuing the trend of recent years. The population more than
doubled during the intercensus period 1931.1951. At the 1951
census there were 28,501 males and 32,374 females with a density
2