[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Friern Barnet].

  • Friern Barnet (London, England). Urban District Council.
Date:
[1957]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Friern Barnet]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    7/58 (page 3)
    it is sincerely to be hoped that the day will eventually arrive when the true vital statistics of a district such as Friern Barnet, using these words in their fullest sense, will be available in such a manner as to be studied as a composite whole. Meantime, we must make the best possible use of all the information at our disposal. It is here that contact with general practitioners to which I made reference in last year's Annual Report, is so very useful. I should like to make it clear that I have received the most cordial co-operation from general practitioners since taking up my office as Medical Officer of Health for Friern Barnet. For this co-operation I am truly grateful. Health education as it is practised in Friern Barnet calls for special mention. It is becoming more and more obvious that, to neglect health education, is to throw away a weapon which should be in every local authority's hands and which should be used with regularity and with vigour. I think it can be truthfully said that health education has not been neglected in Friern Barnet. Talks are given from time to time to local organisations; articles on matters concerning health appear in the local press, by courtesy of the editors; the magazine Better Health is circulated throughout the district; while use is made of posters, pamphlets and leaflets on a variety of subjects in which the average man and woman should, indeed, must for their own and for the community's sake, be interested. I would make special mention of three other ways in which health education has been encouraged in Friern Barnet during the year. The Health Services Handbook, to which reference was made in the Annual Report for 1955, became available during the year and was circulated throughout the district. The booklet was well received, and has proved most useful. The kiosk outside the Town Hall has also proved of the greatest value. No less than eighteen exhibits have been prepared by the Public Health staff since the kiosk was first brought into use in 1955. The subjects covered such varied aspects of health as: -3-