A Chronology of State Medicine, Public Health, Welfare and Related ...

The Committee of Inquiry on The Rehabilitation, Training and Resettlement of
Disabled Persons, Cmd.9883, (chairman, Lord Piercy, 1886-1966, economist and banker)
broadly agreed that facilities for enabling disabled persons to get suitable appointments
needed little change (see 1943). The Committee recommended, inter alia, improvements in
hospital facilities for rehabilitation and the establishment of resettlement clinics; and that
local authority welfare departments should assist permanently disabled persons living at
home by providing personal aids and structural adaptations in the home. See 1958.
The Inter-Departmental Committee on Recruitment to the Dental Profession,
Cmd.9861, (chairman, Lord McNair) reaffirmed many of the findings and recommendations
of the Teviot Committee (1946), and made additional suggestions for the improvement in the
recruitment and
1956 Cont - 1957
1956 cont morale of dentists. See 1957.
The Working Party on the Field of Work, Training and Recruitment of Health Visitors
(chairman, Sir Wilson Jameson, see 1940) stated that "The functions of health visitors should
primarily be health education and social advice" in relation to children, families and elderly
people. "In the ordinary course of her work and without exceeding her competence, she could
be in a real sense a general purpose family visitor". The Working Party hoped that integrated
courses embodying nurse, maternity and public health training would become the mode of
training. See 1962.
Report of the Departmental Working Party on the Staffing and Organisation of the
Factory Inspectorate. See 1958.
A Sub-Committee (chairman, Sir Henry Cohen, see 1954) of the Central Health
Services Council published a report "The Medical Care of Epileptics". See 1969.
The Association of Industrial Medical Officers published "The Functions of an
Occupational Health Service in an Industrial Organisation". See 1966 and 1972.
National Training Scheme for Hospital Administrators introduced. See 1957.
First experimental training scheme giving nurses student status was inaugurated at
Glasgow Royal Infirmary and supported by the Department of Health for Scotland and the
Nuffield Provincial Hospitals Trust. See 1986.
Minister of Health refused to mount a campaign against smoking as he was not
convinced that smoking was harmful. See 1965.
Pertussis vaccine and the Salk poliomyelitis vaccine recommended for use nation-wide.
See 1957.
First report of the Medical Research Council's trial of BCG vaccination of school
leavers published. See 1959.
Large scale trial of birth control pills began. See 1961.
First kidney transplant operation carried out in England.
JH Tjio and A Levan demonstrated that the normal human chromosome number was
46 and not 48 as had been thought for the preceding thirty years.
The Society for Social Medicine was founded with a steering committee composed of
JHF Brotherston (later Sir John), WJE Jessop, T McKeown, J Pemberton, and Alice Stewart.
The objective of the Society was "the advancement of academic social medicine, primarily in
the research field".
Colleges of Advanced Technology established. See 1963.
"The History of the Society of Medical Officers of Health 1856-1956", by WS Walton,
published in Public Health, v.69, pp. 160-226. See 1999.
First atomic power station in the UK, at Calder Hall, Cumbria, became operational.