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Annual dinner
PUBLIC HEALTH.
100
DECEMBER,
The Society. Reports, Proceedings and Announcements. ANNUAL DINNER.
Dr. H . A . Bulman, Mrs. Bulman, Col. E. A. Burnside R.A.M.e . (ret.).
The Annual Dinner of the S ociety was held in the Garden Suite of th e May Pair Hotel, Berk eley Square, London, on Thursday, November 22nd, 1934, when th e President (Dr. Robert Veitch Clark) and Mrs. Veitch Clark received over 1(;0 members and guests. The President was 'supported hy the following- :-Past Presidents .-Dr. T. \V . Naylor Barl ow, D.H.E., Dr. G. F . Buchan (H a n . Treasurer), Dr. J. J. Buchan (l\l emher of Council), Sir Francis Fremantle, a . H.E . , 1\1.P. ( Me m be r of Council), Dr. Charles Porter (immediate Past-President and Hon , Editor), Sir John R obertson, c.1\I.G., a. B .F.. , Dr. E. H. Sncll (Me mber of Council), and Dr. W. G. \VilIou ghhy. M emb ers of Council.-Dr. 'E th el Cassie, Dr. Jam es Fenton (Chairman , Gen eral Purposes Committee), Dr. R. P . Garrow, Dr. H enry H erd (President, North-Western Branch), Professor W. \V. Jameson, Dr. R . II. II. Jolly, Dr. H. J. '1\1 illigan, M .c., Dr. \V. Paterson, Dr. T. N. V . Potts, Dr. V. F. Sooth;ll, Dr. A. A. Turner, !lLC. (President, Home Counties Branch), Dr. H. Gibbons 'Yard, and Dr. F. T. H. \Vood, a.B.E. Branch and Group Presidents. - Dr. J. A . 1\1. C lark (Midland Branch), Dr. G. A. Dawson (Northern Branch), Dr. J. A. Scott (Yorkshire Branch), Reginald Chase, Esq ., LoD. S. (D ental Officers' Group), Dr. Stella Churchill (Maternity and Child Welfare Group), and Dr. George jessel (Tuberculosis Group). Miss Adam, Right Rev. Dr. A . Alexander, D.D. (Moderator, Presbyterian Church of England), Dr. G. C . Anderson (Medical Secretary, British Medical Association), Dr. W. M . Ash, Mrs. Ash. C . II. Baber, Esq., J. N. Barlow, Esq., Mrs. Naylor Barlow, Dr. Evelyn F . Bebbington, Dr. R. r, Irving Bell, Mrs. Bell, Councillor G. Brett, Dr. G. 1. Brodie, Dr. G. R. Bruce, O.B.E., Mrs. Bruce, Mrs . G. F. Buchan, Mrs. J. J. Buchan, Miss Lydia Buchan, Sir George Buchanan, C.D., M.D., F.R.C.P. (Master, Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London),
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Dr. Ann e Campbell, Dr. T. Carnwarh, D.S.O., Mrs. Carnwarh, Mrs . Chas e, Dr. Christie, Mrs. Christie Mrs. Clark, Capt. H. H . Clay , F.R .SAN .I., F.r.s.E.: A. Powell Coke, Esq ., \V. T . Creswell , Esq., K.C. (Chairman of Council, Royal Sanitary Institute). Sir W. Dalrymple-Champneys, Bart., M.D., !\t.R.C.P., Lady Dairymplc-Champneys, Dr. L . Meredith Davies. Councillor R. G. Edwards (Chairman, Manchester Public Health Committee), H. G. Evans, Esq., L.D.S. J. S. Fairbairn, Esq., M.A., s.n.c.s., r.n.c.r-. (President. British College of Obstetricians and Gynrecologists) Mrs. Fenton, E. Kaye Ie Fleming, Esq ., M.A., M.D.: B.C. (Chairman of Council, Briti sh Medical Associa. tion) . Dr. .R. M. G alloway, Mrs. Galloway, Mrs. Garrow, A. A. G ibb, Esq ., Dr. J. M . Gibson, Alderman \V. H . Green, J .P. , L .C.C . Dr. Betty Hamilton, Dr. ] . A. H arbison, Mrs. Harbison, Lr-Col. F. Harvey (n .A.M.e.), Mrs. Herd Dr. Charles Hill (Asst. Medical Secretary, British Medical Association), Sir Frederick Hobday, K.C.lVI.G., F.R.e.V.S., F.R.S.E. (Principal, Royal Veterinary College) Sir Gerald Hurst, K.C., M.P. • Miss Jessel , Professor J. Johnstone Jervis, Mrs. Jolly . Dr. F . Leonard Keith, Mrs. Harold Kerr, Dr.l\lary Kidd . Dr. Lydia Leney. Dr. H . M. C. Macaulay, Mrs . Macaulay, Dr. E. K. Macdonald , Dr. 1. C. Mackay, Mrs . Mackay, Dr. G. F. McCleary, Mrs. McCleary, Mrs. H. J. Milligan, Dr. E . Morland (The Lancet), M iss E. Musson, C.B.E•• R.R.C., LL.D., S.R.N. (Chairman, General Nursing Council). Dr. E . H. T. Nash, Mrs. Nash, Dr. Agnes H. Nicoll, Sir George Newman, K.C .B., D.e.L ., LL .D., M .D., F.R.C.P., D.P.H . (Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Health and Board of Education). Dr. B. L. Oldershaw, Mrs. Oldershaw, Miss Osmaston. Lt.-Col. G . S . Parkinson, D.S.O., Mrs. W. Paterson, Miss Cora Paterson , Miss Beryl Pickup, Miss Maire Porter-Porter, Miss Sheila Porter-Porter, J. H. P. Potts, Esq., Miss E. Potts, Arthur Purkis, Esq. Dr. Maitland Radford, P. Scott Rankine, Esq. (Secretary, Central Council for Health Education), Lady Robertson, Sir Arthur Robinson, Q.e.D., C.B.E. (Secretary to the Ministry of Health), ]. W. Dudley Robinson, Esq ., M.SC., PH.D. (Secretary, Royal Sanitary Institute), Dr. J. Rowatt. Servington Savery, Esq ., M.P., Mrs. Scott, W. G. Senior, Esq., L.D.S. (Dental Secretary, British Dental Association), Mrs. Senior, Dr. Edith Shannon, Dr. Carol Sims, Dr. J. T. C . Sims-Roberts, F. B. Smith Esq., H. S. Smith, Esq., Dr. E. H . R. Smithard': Mrs. V. F. Soothill, Eric South, Esq., W. A. Steams' Esq., J.P., Mrs. Stearns, Dr. J. Sutherland. '
1934.
PUBLIC HEALTH.
Dr. J. Tate, Mrs. Tate, Arnold Thorne, Esq., Mrs. Rosa Thorne, D.D.S., Mrs. Turner, Professor F. E. Tylecote, M .D., F.R.C.P., D.P .H (Professor of Medicine, Manchester University). Dr. E. A. Underwood, Mrs. Underwood. Dr. J. Sim Wallace, Mrs. Wallace, Dr. W. H. S. Wallace Miss Walton, Dr. Ralph Watson, Mrs. \Vatson: Dr. J. n. Wilkinson, L. St. G. Wilkinson, Esq., M.SC., A.M.INST.e.E., Mrs. L. St. G. Wilki~son, Dr. H. C. M. Williams, Dr. J. Greenwood Wilson, Mrs. Wilson . Sir Hilton Young, P.C., G.B .E., D.S .O ., D.S.e. , M.P. (Minister of Health), Lady Hilton Young. Capt. G. S. Elliston, M.e. , M.A., J.P. , M.P. (Consultant Secretary, Society of Medical Officers. of Health), and Mr. G. L. C. Elliston, M.A . (Executive Secretary).
Grace was said bv the Right R ev. Dr. A. Alexander, D.D. (l\Ioderator, Presbyterian Church of England). The loyal toast, proposed by the President, was enthusiastically honoured.
The Rt, lion. Sir E. lIilton Young (Minister of Health) in proposing the toast of " The Society of , Medical Officers of Healt~ , " Sal'd that the advice and counsel of the Society had always been of inestimable value to th e Ministry, and he was confident. that .the ,~arm relations of mutual co-operation which existed would not only be maintained but increased in the future, and that no call which the ~linistry might make upon the Soci ety t? place its knowledge and experience at the disposal of the central government would be made in vain. The relations between the centre and the circumference had shown steady improvement, and if that rate had been accelerated during tile last three years he would take a personal pride in the achievement .. ~he excellent understanding between the Ministry and the local authorities had been much improved as a result of the Act of 1929, which gave a great measure of freedom and control to those authorities. The good effects of that Act had been revealed by the recent surveys carried out by the Ministry, in co-oper~tion with the local authorities, into the public health services of the country. In a complimentary reference to PUBLIC II EALTII , Sir Hilton Young' said that it brouaht to him news of the work of the Soci~y, and he was well aw~re ?f t~e skill and enterprise necessary to mamtam a ~ournal of such influence as that of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. He invited attention to another admirable publication-Sir George Newman's annual report-s-where
101
would be found much matter of great import for common digestion in relation to the services with which they were all conc erned. Referring to the subject of maternal mortality, he urged that it was a matter which needed the concentrated attention of the public health service of the country. An attack upon the maternal mortality rate had been launched, and he believed there existed an armoury of services adequate to deal with the situation. It was not the intention that the question should be looked upon as capable of ind efinite postponement, and he invited the assistance of the Society in the carrying through of the attack upon the problem with a sufficient degree of intensity to secure a successful result. Turning to the housing question, he said that th e government relied upon medical officers of health more than an ybody else for the success of the great national effort to end in five years the intolerable evil of the slums. Looking ba ck upon the achievement of the past year he was astonished at the measure of success obtained through the instrumentality of medical officers of health. During the period of preparation and organisation, lfi,OOO houses had actually been completed to re-house slum-dwellers, and there were also 10,000 houses under construction-a truly remarkable effort of concentrated work. The rate at which the work was proceeding was steadily increasing, so that soon the maximum rate of achievement would be reached and the success of the five-year plan assured. Medical officers of health in their labours had been largely responsible for such admirable results. In a short time the next stage of the housing evil would be proceeded with, and a call would be made upon medical officers of health with yet further duties and increase of work in order to deal with the problem of ovefcrowding, which would depend upon a survey of overcrowding in relation to the standard of accommodation to be laid down in a forthcoming bill. The Ministry was confident that it would not be calling in vain upon an organisation whicli had proved so capable of strain in the past. and that results as valuable as those already obtained would be secured for the benefit of the people in the new task of dealing with the evils of overcrowding,
The President, in response, said that. he was deeply grateful for the opportunity of reply-
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PUBLIC HEALTH.
ing- to the toast of "The Society." Sir Hilton Young had a real personal interest in the Society and fully appreciated the position which it held in, relation to the public health work of this country. He had conferred upon them a great honour in attending the dinner on that occasion, more particularly in view of the great pressure of parliamentary engagements. During his visit to Manchester the Minister had spent the whole of his time familiarising himself with actual conditions in the field, so that when he returned to Westminster the vision with which he inspired parliament was reinforced by an intimate knowledge of facts. Regarding the several subjects to which Sir Hilton Young had referred, the President claimed that maternal mortality could be considerably reduced by the effective operation of the means already at hand. There were, however, certain causative factors, among them intoxications, which could not be properly dealt with unless and until research had been pushed to a greater degree than in the past. It was essential that all the weapons should be welded into one, and without an organised maternity service the problem could not be tackled successfully. With regard to housing, the re-housing in Manchester of the past year would be multiplied six or seven times during the coming twelve months. Already between 5,000 and G,OOO houses had been represented, and the prog-ress the Minister had referred to was supported by the actual work which was going on. As Sir Hilton Young had said in Man, chester, the great housing reform was, in fact, a complement of the whole of the public health activity of the last fifty years, and little would avail in the treatment of disease unless the people could be put back into conditions in which they could live healthily, thus realising the vital need of the home environment as a factor in the improvement of the people's health. To the younger members of the Society especially, the President said he believed they were living in the greatest age that public health had ever seen. Fifty years ago their predecessors were struggling with environment. Now the individual units of the population and individual diseases were being tackled, and the nation was on the threshold of the .most wonderful development of the social science of individual and communal
Ol-XDIBER
,
well-being- that the race had ever beheld. He envied every man and woman in the public health service under the age of thirty-five. The great tradition of the Society was vested in the President, and it would be his earnest endeavour to live up to the hig-h level of service and achievement which his prede_ cessor (Dr. Charles Porter) had reached during his term of office as President of the Society of Medical Officers of Health.
Sir John Hobertson, C.M.G., O.B.E. (P ro.. fessor of Public Health, University of Birming-ham), proposed the liealth of Dr. T. "V. Naylor Barlow, O.B.I~., and Dr. George F. Buchan, the honoured g-uests of the evening. He recalled the magnificent work they had done on behalf of the Society and the public health service and its members during- the last twenty-five years, and referred particularly to their labours in connection with salary . scales and conditions of service , and to the lengthy and difficult negotiations which had been carried out by the Society, as represented by them, and various other organisations. It was now recognised that the medical officer of health should be adequately remunerated for the more respon; sible duties placed upon him, and in season and out of season Dr. Barlow and Dr. Buchan had kept the object to be attained always in view. The enormous amount of work tliey had done had benefited not only the public health service but the community as a whole by getting the best men into the service. lloth were distinguished health officers who de, served the Society's most grateful thanks for their very valuable work, and all the members would wish them long life and happiness. Dr. T. w. Naylor Barlow, O.B.E., in reply, referred to his early experiences and difficuj; ties in the public health service, and, avoiding reference to what he had done for the Society, spoke of what the Society had done for hint. Attendance at the meetings of the Society and its Branches and Groups, and listening to papers and discussions, would, he claimed , enable any member to view the problems of other people, see the way they were solving them, and add their experience to his own and make him a much better officer. In thank~ ing the Society for the great honour bestowed upon him, Dr. Barlow said he felt that he had in some degree won the respect and friendship of those with whom he had worked, and that
1934.
PUBLIC HEALTH.
had been a great tonic to him in the first months of his retirement.
Dr. George F. Buchan also returned thanks to Sir John Robertson and to th e Societ y for man y kindnesses. The life of a medical officer of health of a local authorit y, he said, was a very hard one. Schemes for the public health were constantly being devi sed , but unfortunately were not always accepted by th e authorities, and it was a matter of wond er that there were so many nation-wide sc hemes op erating for the improvement of the national health. There was no such thing as finality in public health, and much that had been taught had to De unlearned. The public health department of to-day was a vast organisation including various kinds of officer, and whatever their type all were in the nature of health educators. The research worker, however, was not always found in public health, and some fund should be allocated for such a purpose. After all, it was on the findings of research that methods of work in public health were determined, and there were to-day as man y oppo rtunities of discovering as in the da ys of Harvey, Pasteur and Lister. He had always been anxious that public health should tak e its proper place in the scheme of medicine, and in ord er to accomplish that it was necessary that th e public health doctor should receive reasonable co nd itions of service. To that end he had worked. Dr. Barlow had worked, all had worked. \Vhether or not they had receiv ed reasonable conditions of service he was not prepared to say at the present time, but a certain security had been obtained which was bound to be reflected in the work done. They could not all be great men, nor could they all unearth some fundamental truths, but all could add to the structure of the science of public health and improve its practice. Dr. T. N. V. Potts, in giving the toast of The Guests," said that it gave the Society great pleasure to extend a very warm welcome to the visitors, who included distinguished members of the church, law and medicine, the nursing profession, representatives of local authorities, industrial concerns, and the Ministry of Health, in addition to five Mern, bers of Parliament. The name of Sir Hilton Young would remain everlastingly in connection with the relief of the circumstances of the poor of this country. Sir Gerald Hurst, K.C. (senior Member of Parliament for Manco
103
chester), had earned a great reputation in the i~ r m y as wel l as in parliament ar y and legal circles, and Dr. Fairbairn had devoted considerable time to improvin g the standard of education for obstetricians and midwives . Other guests whom the Society were pleased to welcom e were Sir Arthur Robinson (Perman ent Secretary to the Ministry of H ealth ), Councillor Edwnrds (Chairman of the Xlanchester Public Health Committee), and repr esentati ves of the Br itish l\ledical Asso ciation-Dr. Kaye Ie Fl eming (Chairman of Council) and Dr. Anderson (Medical Secretary). The presence of Mrs, Harold Kerr, wife of a late President of the Society, was also extremely gratifying to the members.
Dr. J. S. Fairbairn. in reply, said that he was pr esent as Chairman of th e Central Midwives Board and President of the British Coll eg e of Obstetricians and G yn<~cologists. In those capacities he obtained a view of the medical officer of health from two entirel y, different standpoints. Medical officers of health might know a lot about preventive medi cin e, but the y had much to learn with regard to preventive obstetrics. At th e Central Midwives Board every endeavour was made to keep in touch with the medical officer of health, and he would like the medical officer of health to keep in tou ch with and make usc of the British Colleg-e of Obstetricians and Gyn;ccolog-ists-a body whi ch was anxious to be of service to the community. There were many directions in which th e College and the medical officers of health ought to be able to work together, for example, as regards maternal mortality and the toxremias of pregnancy . Dr. Fai~bairn regretted that it was difficult to induce medical officers of health to take cog nisance of the diploma (D.C.a.G.) which the College recently decided to award, after examination, to registered medical practitioners who had had special post-graduate training and experience in obstetrics. Sir Gerald Hurst. Ii.C., M.('., who also replied for the guests, expressed appreciation of the value and influence of the Society, and of the great services wfiich the President had rendered to l\Ianchester. A number of excellent conjuring tricks perform ed by Mr. Cyril Shields provided entertainment and amusement for the company, and contributed to the success of an enjoyable evening.
100
DECEMBER,
The Society. Reports, Proceedings and Announcements. ANNUAL DINNER.
Dr. H . A . Bulman, Mrs. Bulman, Col. E. A. Burnside R.A.M.e . (ret.).
The Annual Dinner of the S ociety was held in the Garden Suite of th e May Pair Hotel, Berk eley Square, London, on Thursday, November 22nd, 1934, when th e President (Dr. Robert Veitch Clark) and Mrs. Veitch Clark received over 1(;0 members and guests. The President was 'supported hy the following- :-Past Presidents .-Dr. T. \V . Naylor Barl ow, D.H.E., Dr. G. F . Buchan (H a n . Treasurer), Dr. J. J. Buchan (l\l emher of Council), Sir Francis Fremantle, a . H.E . , 1\1.P. ( Me m be r of Council), Dr. Charles Porter (immediate Past-President and Hon , Editor), Sir John R obertson, c.1\I.G., a. B .F.. , Dr. E. H. Sncll (Me mber of Council), and Dr. W. G. \VilIou ghhy. M emb ers of Council.-Dr. 'E th el Cassie, Dr. Jam es Fenton (Chairman , Gen eral Purposes Committee), Dr. R. P . Garrow, Dr. H enry H erd (President, North-Western Branch), Professor W. \V. Jameson, Dr. R . II. II. Jolly, Dr. H. J. '1\1 illigan, M .c., Dr. \V. Paterson, Dr. T. N. V . Potts, Dr. V. F. Sooth;ll, Dr. A. A. Turner, !lLC. (President, Home Counties Branch), Dr. H. Gibbons 'Yard, and Dr. F. T. H. \Vood, a.B.E. Branch and Group Presidents. - Dr. J. A . 1\1. C lark (Midland Branch), Dr. G. A. Dawson (Northern Branch), Dr. J. A. Scott (Yorkshire Branch), Reginald Chase, Esq ., LoD. S. (D ental Officers' Group), Dr. Stella Churchill (Maternity and Child Welfare Group), and Dr. George jessel (Tuberculosis Group). Miss Adam, Right Rev. Dr. A . Alexander, D.D. (Moderator, Presbyterian Church of England), Dr. G. C . Anderson (Medical Secretary, British Medical Association), Dr. W. M . Ash, Mrs. Ash. C . II. Baber, Esq., J. N. Barlow, Esq., Mrs. Naylor Barlow, Dr. Evelyn F . Bebbington, Dr. R. r, Irving Bell, Mrs. Bell, Councillor G. Brett, Dr. G. 1. Brodie, Dr. G. R. Bruce, O.B.E., Mrs. Bruce, Mrs . G. F. Buchan, Mrs. J. J. Buchan, Miss Lydia Buchan, Sir George Buchanan, C.D., M.D., F.R.C.P. (Master, Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London),
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Dr. Ann e Campbell, Dr. T. Carnwarh, D.S.O., Mrs. Carnwarh, Mrs . Chas e, Dr. Christie, Mrs. Christie Mrs. Clark, Capt. H. H . Clay , F.R .SAN .I., F.r.s.E.: A. Powell Coke, Esq ., \V. T . Creswell , Esq., K.C. (Chairman of Council, Royal Sanitary Institute). Sir W. Dalrymple-Champneys, Bart., M.D., !\t.R.C.P., Lady Dairymplc-Champneys, Dr. L . Meredith Davies. Councillor R. G. Edwards (Chairman, Manchester Public Health Committee), H. G. Evans, Esq., L.D.S. J. S. Fairbairn, Esq., M.A., s.n.c.s., r.n.c.r-. (President. British College of Obstetricians and Gynrecologists) Mrs. Fenton, E. Kaye Ie Fleming, Esq ., M.A., M.D.: B.C. (Chairman of Council, Briti sh Medical Associa. tion) . Dr. .R. M. G alloway, Mrs. Galloway, Mrs. Garrow, A. A. G ibb, Esq ., Dr. J. M . Gibson, Alderman \V. H . Green, J .P. , L .C.C . Dr. Betty Hamilton, Dr. ] . A. H arbison, Mrs. Harbison, Lr-Col. F. Harvey (n .A.M.e.), Mrs. Herd Dr. Charles Hill (Asst. Medical Secretary, British Medical Association), Sir Frederick Hobday, K.C.lVI.G., F.R.e.V.S., F.R.S.E. (Principal, Royal Veterinary College) Sir Gerald Hurst, K.C., M.P. • Miss Jessel , Professor J. Johnstone Jervis, Mrs. Jolly . Dr. F . Leonard Keith, Mrs. Harold Kerr, Dr.l\lary Kidd . Dr. Lydia Leney. Dr. H . M. C. Macaulay, Mrs . Macaulay, Dr. E. K. Macdonald , Dr. 1. C. Mackay, Mrs . Mackay, Dr. G. F. McCleary, Mrs. McCleary, Mrs. H. J. Milligan, Dr. E . Morland (The Lancet), M iss E. Musson, C.B.E•• R.R.C., LL.D., S.R.N. (Chairman, General Nursing Council). Dr. E . H. T. Nash, Mrs. Nash, Dr. Agnes H. Nicoll, Sir George Newman, K.C .B., D.e.L ., LL .D., M .D., F.R.C.P., D.P.H . (Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Health and Board of Education). Dr. B. L. Oldershaw, Mrs. Oldershaw, Miss Osmaston. Lt.-Col. G . S . Parkinson, D.S.O., Mrs. W. Paterson, Miss Cora Paterson , Miss Beryl Pickup, Miss Maire Porter-Porter, Miss Sheila Porter-Porter, J. H. P. Potts, Esq., Miss E. Potts, Arthur Purkis, Esq. Dr. Maitland Radford, P. Scott Rankine, Esq. (Secretary, Central Council for Health Education), Lady Robertson, Sir Arthur Robinson, Q.e.D., C.B.E. (Secretary to the Ministry of Health), ]. W. Dudley Robinson, Esq ., M.SC., PH.D. (Secretary, Royal Sanitary Institute), Dr. J. Rowatt. Servington Savery, Esq ., M.P., Mrs. Scott, W. G. Senior, Esq., L.D.S. (Dental Secretary, British Dental Association), Mrs. Senior, Dr. Edith Shannon, Dr. Carol Sims, Dr. J. T. C . Sims-Roberts, F. B. Smith Esq., H. S. Smith, Esq., Dr. E. H . R. Smithard': Mrs. V. F. Soothill, Eric South, Esq., W. A. Steams' Esq., J.P., Mrs. Stearns, Dr. J. Sutherland. '
1934.
PUBLIC HEALTH.
Dr. J. Tate, Mrs. Tate, Arnold Thorne, Esq., Mrs. Rosa Thorne, D.D.S., Mrs. Turner, Professor F. E. Tylecote, M .D., F.R.C.P., D.P .H (Professor of Medicine, Manchester University). Dr. E. A. Underwood, Mrs. Underwood. Dr. J. Sim Wallace, Mrs. Wallace, Dr. W. H. S. Wallace Miss Walton, Dr. Ralph Watson, Mrs. \Vatson: Dr. J. n. Wilkinson, L. St. G. Wilkinson, Esq., M.SC., A.M.INST.e.E., Mrs. L. St. G. Wilki~son, Dr. H. C. M. Williams, Dr. J. Greenwood Wilson, Mrs. Wilson . Sir Hilton Young, P.C., G.B .E., D.S .O ., D.S.e. , M.P. (Minister of Health), Lady Hilton Young. Capt. G. S. Elliston, M.e. , M.A., J.P. , M.P. (Consultant Secretary, Society of Medical Officers. of Health), and Mr. G. L. C. Elliston, M.A . (Executive Secretary).
Grace was said bv the Right R ev. Dr. A. Alexander, D.D. (l\Ioderator, Presbyterian Church of England). The loyal toast, proposed by the President, was enthusiastically honoured.
The Rt, lion. Sir E. lIilton Young (Minister of Health) in proposing the toast of " The Society of , Medical Officers of Healt~ , " Sal'd that the advice and counsel of the Society had always been of inestimable value to th e Ministry, and he was confident. that .the ,~arm relations of mutual co-operation which existed would not only be maintained but increased in the future, and that no call which the ~linistry might make upon the Soci ety t? place its knowledge and experience at the disposal of the central government would be made in vain. The relations between the centre and the circumference had shown steady improvement, and if that rate had been accelerated during tile last three years he would take a personal pride in the achievement .. ~he excellent understanding between the Ministry and the local authorities had been much improved as a result of the Act of 1929, which gave a great measure of freedom and control to those authorities. The good effects of that Act had been revealed by the recent surveys carried out by the Ministry, in co-oper~tion with the local authorities, into the public health services of the country. In a complimentary reference to PUBLIC II EALTII , Sir Hilton Young' said that it brouaht to him news of the work of the Soci~y, and he was well aw~re ?f t~e skill and enterprise necessary to mamtam a ~ournal of such influence as that of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. He invited attention to another admirable publication-Sir George Newman's annual report-s-where
101
would be found much matter of great import for common digestion in relation to the services with which they were all conc erned. Referring to the subject of maternal mortality, he urged that it was a matter which needed the concentrated attention of the public health service of the country. An attack upon the maternal mortality rate had been launched, and he believed there existed an armoury of services adequate to deal with the situation. It was not the intention that the question should be looked upon as capable of ind efinite postponement, and he invited the assistance of the Society in the carrying through of the attack upon the problem with a sufficient degree of intensity to secure a successful result. Turning to the housing question, he said that th e government relied upon medical officers of health more than an ybody else for the success of the great national effort to end in five years the intolerable evil of the slums. Looking ba ck upon the achievement of the past year he was astonished at the measure of success obtained through the instrumentality of medical officers of health. During the period of preparation and organisation, lfi,OOO houses had actually been completed to re-house slum-dwellers, and there were also 10,000 houses under construction-a truly remarkable effort of concentrated work. The rate at which the work was proceeding was steadily increasing, so that soon the maximum rate of achievement would be reached and the success of the five-year plan assured. Medical officers of health in their labours had been largely responsible for such admirable results. In a short time the next stage of the housing evil would be proceeded with, and a call would be made upon medical officers of health with yet further duties and increase of work in order to deal with the problem of ovefcrowding, which would depend upon a survey of overcrowding in relation to the standard of accommodation to be laid down in a forthcoming bill. The Ministry was confident that it would not be calling in vain upon an organisation whicli had proved so capable of strain in the past. and that results as valuable as those already obtained would be secured for the benefit of the people in the new task of dealing with the evils of overcrowding,
The President, in response, said that. he was deeply grateful for the opportunity of reply-
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ing- to the toast of "The Society." Sir Hilton Young had a real personal interest in the Society and fully appreciated the position which it held in, relation to the public health work of this country. He had conferred upon them a great honour in attending the dinner on that occasion, more particularly in view of the great pressure of parliamentary engagements. During his visit to Manchester the Minister had spent the whole of his time familiarising himself with actual conditions in the field, so that when he returned to Westminster the vision with which he inspired parliament was reinforced by an intimate knowledge of facts. Regarding the several subjects to which Sir Hilton Young had referred, the President claimed that maternal mortality could be considerably reduced by the effective operation of the means already at hand. There were, however, certain causative factors, among them intoxications, which could not be properly dealt with unless and until research had been pushed to a greater degree than in the past. It was essential that all the weapons should be welded into one, and without an organised maternity service the problem could not be tackled successfully. With regard to housing, the re-housing in Manchester of the past year would be multiplied six or seven times during the coming twelve months. Already between 5,000 and G,OOO houses had been represented, and the prog-ress the Minister had referred to was supported by the actual work which was going on. As Sir Hilton Young had said in Man, chester, the great housing reform was, in fact, a complement of the whole of the public health activity of the last fifty years, and little would avail in the treatment of disease unless the people could be put back into conditions in which they could live healthily, thus realising the vital need of the home environment as a factor in the improvement of the people's health. To the younger members of the Society especially, the President said he believed they were living in the greatest age that public health had ever seen. Fifty years ago their predecessors were struggling with environment. Now the individual units of the population and individual diseases were being tackled, and the nation was on the threshold of the .most wonderful development of the social science of individual and communal
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well-being- that the race had ever beheld. He envied every man and woman in the public health service under the age of thirty-five. The great tradition of the Society was vested in the President, and it would be his earnest endeavour to live up to the hig-h level of service and achievement which his prede_ cessor (Dr. Charles Porter) had reached during his term of office as President of the Society of Medical Officers of Health.
Sir John Hobertson, C.M.G., O.B.E. (P ro.. fessor of Public Health, University of Birming-ham), proposed the liealth of Dr. T. "V. Naylor Barlow, O.B.I~., and Dr. George F. Buchan, the honoured g-uests of the evening. He recalled the magnificent work they had done on behalf of the Society and the public health service and its members during- the last twenty-five years, and referred particularly to their labours in connection with salary . scales and conditions of service , and to the lengthy and difficult negotiations which had been carried out by the Society, as represented by them, and various other organisations. It was now recognised that the medical officer of health should be adequately remunerated for the more respon; sible duties placed upon him, and in season and out of season Dr. Barlow and Dr. Buchan had kept the object to be attained always in view. The enormous amount of work tliey had done had benefited not only the public health service but the community as a whole by getting the best men into the service. lloth were distinguished health officers who de, served the Society's most grateful thanks for their very valuable work, and all the members would wish them long life and happiness. Dr. T. w. Naylor Barlow, O.B.E., in reply, referred to his early experiences and difficuj; ties in the public health service, and, avoiding reference to what he had done for the Society, spoke of what the Society had done for hint. Attendance at the meetings of the Society and its Branches and Groups, and listening to papers and discussions, would, he claimed , enable any member to view the problems of other people, see the way they were solving them, and add their experience to his own and make him a much better officer. In thank~ ing the Society for the great honour bestowed upon him, Dr. Barlow said he felt that he had in some degree won the respect and friendship of those with whom he had worked, and that
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had been a great tonic to him in the first months of his retirement.
Dr. George F. Buchan also returned thanks to Sir John Robertson and to th e Societ y for man y kindnesses. The life of a medical officer of health of a local authorit y, he said, was a very hard one. Schemes for the public health were constantly being devi sed , but unfortunately were not always accepted by th e authorities, and it was a matter of wond er that there were so many nation-wide sc hemes op erating for the improvement of the national health. There was no such thing as finality in public health, and much that had been taught had to De unlearned. The public health department of to-day was a vast organisation including various kinds of officer, and whatever their type all were in the nature of health educators. The research worker, however, was not always found in public health, and some fund should be allocated for such a purpose. After all, it was on the findings of research that methods of work in public health were determined, and there were to-day as man y oppo rtunities of discovering as in the da ys of Harvey, Pasteur and Lister. He had always been anxious that public health should tak e its proper place in the scheme of medicine, and in ord er to accomplish that it was necessary that th e public health doctor should receive reasonable co nd itions of service. To that end he had worked. Dr. Barlow had worked, all had worked. \Vhether or not they had receiv ed reasonable conditions of service he was not prepared to say at the present time, but a certain security had been obtained which was bound to be reflected in the work done. They could not all be great men, nor could they all unearth some fundamental truths, but all could add to the structure of the science of public health and improve its practice. Dr. T. N. V. Potts, in giving the toast of The Guests," said that it gave the Society great pleasure to extend a very warm welcome to the visitors, who included distinguished members of the church, law and medicine, the nursing profession, representatives of local authorities, industrial concerns, and the Ministry of Health, in addition to five Mern, bers of Parliament. The name of Sir Hilton Young would remain everlastingly in connection with the relief of the circumstances of the poor of this country. Sir Gerald Hurst, K.C. (senior Member of Parliament for Manco
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chester), had earned a great reputation in the i~ r m y as wel l as in parliament ar y and legal circles, and Dr. Fairbairn had devoted considerable time to improvin g the standard of education for obstetricians and midwives . Other guests whom the Society were pleased to welcom e were Sir Arthur Robinson (Perman ent Secretary to the Ministry of H ealth ), Councillor Edwnrds (Chairman of the Xlanchester Public Health Committee), and repr esentati ves of the Br itish l\ledical Asso ciation-Dr. Kaye Ie Fl eming (Chairman of Council) and Dr. Anderson (Medical Secretary). The presence of Mrs, Harold Kerr, wife of a late President of the Society, was also extremely gratifying to the members.
Dr. J. S. Fairbairn. in reply, said that he was pr esent as Chairman of th e Central Midwives Board and President of the British Coll eg e of Obstetricians and G yn<~cologists. In those capacities he obtained a view of the medical officer of health from two entirel y, different standpoints. Medical officers of health might know a lot about preventive medi cin e, but the y had much to learn with regard to preventive obstetrics. At th e Central Midwives Board every endeavour was made to keep in touch with the medical officer of health, and he would like the medical officer of health to keep in tou ch with and make usc of the British Colleg-e of Obstetricians and Gyn;ccolog-ists-a body whi ch was anxious to be of service to the community. There were many directions in which th e College and the medical officers of health ought to be able to work together, for example, as regards maternal mortality and the toxremias of pregnancy . Dr. Fai~bairn regretted that it was difficult to induce medical officers of health to take cog nisance of the diploma (D.C.a.G.) which the College recently decided to award, after examination, to registered medical practitioners who had had special post-graduate training and experience in obstetrics. Sir Gerald Hurst. Ii.C., M.('., who also replied for the guests, expressed appreciation of the value and influence of the Society, and of the great services wfiich the President had rendered to l\Ianchester. A number of excellent conjuring tricks perform ed by Mr. Cyril Shields provided entertainment and amusement for the company, and contributed to the success of an enjoyable evening.