[Report 1960] / Medical Officer of Health, Cumberland County Council.

  • Cumberland County Council
Date:
1960
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1960] / Medical Officer of Health, Cumberland County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    see a lively active bundle of humanity called “a new baby ” being bathed in hospital instead of an inanimate doll. Filmstrips, flannelgraphs, the gas and air machine, and other articles of nursery equipment all help to give interest in the knowledge which is imparted to these mothers-in-waiting; they themselves have often expressed their thanks to the midwives who are giving this valuable service. In 1960 a more organised approach to talks in schools has proved of interest to the children and teachers alike. Twenty- two schools in thirteen areas have accepted the offer of health talks by the health visitor school nurse. As the demand grows it becomes more apparent that the nurses must be constantly in search of new ideas and demonstration material to make the talks attractive; this is most important especially for the younger chil- dren. Preparation of flannelgraphs, mounted pictures and models, all take time and there is little opportunity for this among the many increasing duties the staff are called upon to do. The talks are planned to interest three different age groups—the seven year olds, the nine to ten year olds, and the thirteen to fourteen age group. Some of the essays and attractive booklets made by the middle age group have shown that the talks have made the chil- dren aware of matters of personal hygiene, the value of well balanced meals, the importance of health and the measures we can take to avoid infection and the prevention of home accidents. The demands for talks to voluntary organisations have again been many and a variety of health subjects were requested. It is a pleasure to talk to these diverse groups and it is hoped they will continue to ask for more and more talks on all aspects of health maintenance, particularly mental health, cancer with especial reference to “smoking and lung cancer” and the preparation for retirement and the uses of leisure. Every effort is being made to keep the morbid connection between cigarette smoking and lung cancer in the forefront of all ventures in health education whether in group talks and discus- sions or at the individual level. It is proving rather dismaying, however, that to apparently convince of this relationship is not sufficient to dissuade many cigarette smokers from the habit. Shock tactics have not been resorted to in any great measure in stressing this subject, but 1 am giving much thought to the best approach to school children based on some sort of estimate of the actual smoking habits of school children.