[Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Slough Borough.

  • Slough Borough Council
Date:
1964
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Slough Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    nothing like an epidemic of typhoid to stimulate public thought and action in these matters. One of my earliest recollections on coming to work in Slough in 1950 was of trying to choose a site for a Municipal Abattoir and of paying a visit to the appropriate Ministry to see if approval would be forthcoming if Slough should decide to build one; one of my earliest recollections as a member of the Windsor Group Hospital Management Committee was of the decision taken by all the authorities concerned to build a new hospital at Slough. We are to have both - the hospital in late 1965 or early 1966 and the abattoir in 1967. The part which air pollution plays in the production of lung cancer is much less clear than the part played by cigarette smoking and the existence of partially burned oil derivatives in the air is more likely than coal smoke to be associated with that disease. It is quite clear, however, apart from damage to buildings, that smoke and grit from any source are harmful to the lungs and largely responsible for the ‘English’ disease - bronchitis. Whatever may be the end results, pollution of the air is dangerous and the sooner we get rid of it the better. A major piece of legislation in the field of preventive medicine which came into operation in 1964 was the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act, 1963. For the first time office and shop workers are to have their working standards protected, something which happened in factories and workshops many years ago. I reported last year that the Department had moved to new office premises. This has allowed most of the Health and Welfare services of the Borough and County, with the exception of Health Visitor and District Nurse administration, to be housed in one building. There is little doubt that closer proximity of the sections has not only made it easier for callers to be supplied with the service they need but has also led to greater efficiency. It seemed at first, after the previous crowding, that the amount of space available was almosi luxurious but this was, alas, an illusion. With new services and the appointment of additional officers all ‘free’ space has beer taken up and lack of space must soon lead once again to a call for more room. Alderman N.M. Eschle continued as the Chairman of the Health and Sanitation Committee and to him, to the members of the Committee and to the members of the whole Council, I would like to express my appreciation for their continuing help and encouragement. Staff shortages have, unfortunately, been only