Medical Officer's annual report [to] Durban Corporation.

  • Durban (South Africa). Public Health Department
Date:
[1954]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical Officer's annual report [to] Durban Corporation. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    35/48 (page 31)
    There has again been considerable activity in this con- nection, of which the relevant details are appended: Total Mtz. , Hot Guilty Withdrawn and Pending Fines Food. Drugs and Dis;Ln- feetants Acts 30 28 - 2 212.10, 0. Public Health By-laws Foodstuffs . 85 72 2 11 769.10. 0. Nuisances 143 126 - 17 738. 0. 0. Slums Act Zonal Regulations 31 31 ■ —i 313. 0. 0. 2033. 0. 0. PUBLIC ..HEALTH:, EDUCATION The Cityfs Centenary Celebrations lasting for three months from 15th May to 15th August caused some interruption of the Section*s normal programme. City engineers erected ceremonial arches, electricians arranged illuminations, gardeners planned ahead for exquisite and seas¬ ons,! floral decorations, and musicians for a festival week of music. But Health? What could it contribute? The answer is - three months unremit¬ ting work by its Health Production Film Unit which was allocated whole¬ time at the request of the Director of Publicity and Centenary Committee and with the permission of the City Medical Officer of Health - to the epic task of making colour transparencies of every event - with a suitable script and sound recording, in fact a '’Documentary**. The Health Educator and Technician of the Film Unit, in between routine health programmes attended formal military parades, civic balls and pageants, dog and flower shows, air-week displays, in¬ dustrial and other fairs, ballet and music as well as the celebrations staged by the Coloured, Bantu and Asiatic communities. This cut a gen¬ erous slice out of the year's health educational programme - but then a hundredth birthday is an occasion for surveying a century and taking its photograph] But why you wonder did The Director of Publicity suggest that 'Health‘Education* should be used for this rather special task? Because firstly he had seen and been impressed with both the beauty of health stills as a pictorial medium and their low cost. Secondly, he had already acquired a publicity film entitled City of Health, Utility and Beauty with sound commentation produced by the Health Unit - a unique sequence in which each Department paid for shots of its activities con¬ sidered to be valuable for purposes of publicity. The City and Water Engineer's Department's great engineering feat the Nagle Dam was incor¬ porated with reservoirs and Housing Schemes, The Parks and Gardens Depart¬ ment was represented by colourful islands transforming the ugly angles of the City; the Native Administration's Bantu Flats and Housing Schemes were included whilst the whole was enlivened by beauty vistas of the City and its environment. A preview by City Councillors and Hoads of Departments clinched the suggestion that a Centenary Documentary should be made by the same Unit, Thus throe 'full-length' colour films with narration and music were produced during the year: Durban, City of Health, Utility and Beauty (20 minutes)| Durban's Civic Centenary Celebrations (50 minutes; Nutrition - for Bantu (Indaba Pansi Komuti - Ukudhla' (Discussion under the Tree' - 'Food (20 minutes).