[Report 1962] / Medical Officer of Health, Rotherham County Borough.

  • Rotherham (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1962
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1962] / Medical Officer of Health, Rotherham County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    fact that children are maturing earlier, but this in itself is not an explanation. The possibility of education in its broadest sense, at home, at school and through the Church, should be thoroughly explored. One thing is certain—that notions of austere puritanical morals are generally unacceptable and genuinely inaccessible to the adolescents of today. In the School Health section of the report is an account of a survey done on the smoking habits of some 2,700 children attending secondary schools. On their own admission, smoking is no new experience to a large percentage of children by the time they reach secondary school age. Helped by a mobile anti-smoking unit on loan from the Central Council for Health Education a campaign was carried out amongst school children, pointing out the disadvantages to their health of starting to smoke cigarettes. Such campaigns, however, can only expect to make a small dent in the socially acceptable image of cigarette smoking. No one who has studied the evidence now available can reject the casual association between cigarette smoking and ill-health, particularly cancer of the lung. It is also true that the total number of deaths from this disease rises annually. How much longer will those of us who are interested in the prevention of disease have to wait until the cigarette obtains the reputation it deserves. Certainly it would appear that no progress can be made until advertisements extolling the non-existent virtues of cigarette smoking are stopped. An index of the general improvement in the health of the school child is seen by the examination of the type of child at present attending the Newman School and making a comparison with 1949 when the school was first opened. The precentage of children suffering from subnormal nutrition has fallen from twenty-four to eight from 1949 to 1962. Many of the places in the school are now occupied by physically handicapped children who need much nursing supervision and individual teaching. The alternative was to send them to residential schools and one feels convinced that in many of these cases the child will benefit from the security of a normal home background. The last paragraph in this introduction is always devoted to acknowledgments and thanks to various people for their help throughout the year. Repetition, however, in this case does not denote insincerity. One must acknowledge first of all the consistent work done by members of this Department and the help received from other Corporation Departments. In the case of the School Health Service particular mention should be made of the close working arrangement there is with the Education Department. We are most grateful for the continued close liaison with the general medical practitioners and hospital staff. The occasion also gives the opportunity to thank the Chairmen and members of the Health and Education Committees for their help and guidance at all times, both in committee and outside it. R. J. DONALDSON, Medical Officer of Health and Principal School Medical Officer.