[Report 1958] / Medical Officer of Health, Petersfield R.D.C.
- Petersfield (England). Rural District Council.
- Date:
- 1958
Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Credit: [Report 1958] / Medical Officer of Health, Petersfield R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![Smoking and Cancer of the Lung (continued.]» In many countries* scientific study has shown that the rise in cases of cancer of the lung is directly related to the rise in cigarette smoking* but this result follows at least 25 years of smoking - except in the very heavy smoker. At least four out of five cases of cancer of the lung are caused by the habit”• Dr. J.H. Edwards estimates that* in 1957s, the total number of deaths caused from tobacco - i.e. by lung cancer* bronchitis and reactivated pulmonary tuberculosis — was nearly five times as heavy as deaths on the roads. Dr. J.A. Scott, Medical Officer of Health to the County of London statesr- The people most likely to benefit by anti-smoking propaganda fall into three groups - school children, adolescents and those in early middle and middle age. A principal difficulty with young people is that* in their own estimate, they are immortal, and the possibility of any event happening more than a month or two ahead will not affect their present conduct. They are, however, extremely susceptible to influence by example. Much can be done by the example of parents and teachers, elder brothers and sisters and others whom small children watch and imitate„ And the most effective method is for them to use self-discipline and not smoke themselves, because children accept, as normal and desirable, the standards of conduct of their elders. Adolescents are recognised as the main target lor direct approach. They have an increasing sense of self-importance, recently acquired* which needs to be reinforced by assuming the habits and manners of maturity. And what is more important, their example is not lost upon their younger brothers and sisters. ACCIDENTS IN THE HOMS. More people are killed by accidents in the home than by accidents on the road, the fact is not really surprising since people spend much more time in their houses; but it does mean that we must do everything we can to reduce home accidents. Over 6,000 persons die annually in England and Wales as a result of accidents in their homes. Most fatalities result from four main causes - falls, poisoning, burns and scalds* and suffocation* and of these, about 700 are due to bums and scalds. More than four-fifths of the fatalities concern the young and the old, and as high a proportion as two-thirds involve infants under one year and elderly people of seventy-five and over who are prone to falls, gas poisoning and bums. The majority of home accidents are preventable. Accidents in Children* _ .. According to theChief Medical Officer’s report to the Ministry of Health during the year, 733 children, including 637 under five years of age, suffered fatal accidents in their homes. This figure of 733 fatalities, which forms 11$ of all fatal domestic accidents is, happily, the lowest figure yet recorded, but most bums and scalds and poisoning accidents to children must be regarded as preventable.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29988998_0024.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
