[Report 1966] / Medical Officer of Health, Brackley R.D.C.

  • Brackley (England). Rural District Council.
Date:
1966
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1966] / Medical Officer of Health, Brackley R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    13/48 (page 7)
    and husiness executives has increased. Again modern food technology and the use of scientific knov/ledge and methods in the production of foods have enormously increased the range and que,ntity available. Seasonal variations in food supplies have almost disappeared and price is vrL+,hd»i tho means of most. The net result is that food consumption has gone up. Now 100 lbs. of sugar per head por yoar is used compared with about one fifth of this quantity 100 years ago; the same is true for fats and other starchy foods At the same time, the need for physical exercise has diminished. Early degenerative disease is much less common in underdeveloped countries. It is wise to be as physically active as possible, take regular physical exercise to an amount vhich does not cause undue fatigue, breathlessness or palpitation, and to exercise moderation in the consumption of starchy and fatty foods. Road accidents in G-reat Britain since the beginning of the century have cav.sed 300,000 deaths. In 1966, 7,985 died on the roads compared with 7,952 in 1965. Thus on an average day throughout the year, 22 road users were killed or one death occurred approximately every 66 minutes. Analysis by age has shown the 15-25 year group to be most at risk due to temperamental failures of individuals. The necessity of proper maintainance of the vehicle, habitual use of safety devices such as belts in cars or helmets on motorcycles, and driving with due consid- eration for the safety of other road users is stressed. Confirmed figures regarding accidents in the home, for 1966 have not yet been published but provisional figures indicate a general worsen- ing of the situation. Falls constitute by far the most frequent cause of accidental death in and around the house, about 59 per cent of the total. Nearly 90 per cent of those fatalities were to people in the age group 65 and over. The next most common cause was poisoning followed by burns and scalds, and finally suffocation and choking. Attention to details such as fire guards, fire resistant materials for children's nightdresses simple structural a,iterations in houses for elderly people and provision of physical aids, keeping medicines under lock and key, are required to prevent these deaths, The respiratory infections still take their toll, though less than formerly. The great majority of deaths from pneumonia are in those whose health is undermined by other causes and is as such only a terminal event. There were 8 deaths from pneumonia, A from bronchitis ard 2 from other respiratory diseases.