[Report 1962] / Medical Officer of Health, Stratford-upon-Avon Borough, Stratford-upon-Avon R.D.C., Shipston-upon-Stour R.D.C., Alcester R.D.C.

  • Stratford-upon-Avon (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1962
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1962] / Medical Officer of Health, Stratford-upon-Avon Borough, Stratford-upon-Avon R.D.C., Shipston-upon-Stour R.D.C., Alcester R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    6/86 (page 4)
    Now and then I receive complaints from people who, generally, have only recently come to live in the country and who seemingly do not appreciate the expense and difficulty of providing a weekly Refuse Collection Service which they have become used to in their previous urban lives. There is a weekly Refuse Collection Service in the Borough of Stratford-upon-Avon and Stratford-on-Avon Rural District. Shipston-on-Stour Rural District and Alcester Rural District have a fortnightly service. It seems to me that even a fortnightly service in a rural area can be adequate provided householders make use of their gardens and do not attempt to put things in dustbins which do not need to be put there. A trial scheme using paper sacks has been carried out in some new Council houses in Stratford-on-Avon Rural District with great success. Some difficulty was experienced earlier on in prevent¬ ing cats taking too keen an interest in the contents of the paper sacks. It is also wise, of course, for householders to remember that tipping hot ashes into the sacks ends in disaster. I hope that this new and very much more pleasant system for dealing with refuse, both from the householder’s point of view and from the employee’s point of view, will gradually extend throughout the four Districts. It is a little bit more expensive, but the increased expense is completely outweighed by the benefits. It might be worthwhile for all Councils to consider bringing in this system whenever new houses are ready for occupation rather than providing normal refuse bins. NATIONAL ASSISTANCE (AMENDMENT) ACT 1961 During 1962 it was necessary to remove one old lady from her home in the Shipston-on-Stour Rural District so that she could receive adequate care and attention in hospital. Cold weather at the end of the year and at the beginning of 1963 caused consider¬ able suffering to the elderly who, in spite of their discomfort, pre¬ ferred to stay in their homes. SMALLPOX 1962 The alarm occasioned by the few cases of smallpox in Great Britain in the early part of 1962 has now completely faded away—so much so that it is once again becoming quite dilficult to persuade mothers to have their small children vaccinated. This hesitancy on the part of mothers has been increased by discussion as to when is the best time to vaccinate small children. Medical thought is agreed that this should now be postponed until after the first year of life to reduce the risk of complications which are remote even in children younger than this. My most vivid memory of the spate of vaccination in 1962 is the mental picture of bloated and