London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Camberwell 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Camberwell.
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23
pool at Camberwell Baths are closed for a fortnight in
October when the wells are emptied, cleansed and disinfected.
Any necessary repairs and re-painting are also
undertaken during this period.
Filtration Plants.
Filtration plants and chlorinators (with break-point
operation) are installed in both establishments and the
rate of turnover is 30,000 gallons per hour. The filters
are cleaned by back-washing twice weekly. Every morning
the bottoms of the pools are swept by heavily weighted
brushes and the surfaces are hosed off down the scum
trough drains.
Examination of water.
Ortho-tolidine colour tests and phenol red pH tests
are carried out by the Baths staff four times daily. In
addition, samples of water from all the pools are obtained
every month whilst the baths are in use and submitted for
bacteriological and chemical analysis. As will be seen
from the table on page 54 thirty-three such samples were
examined during 1959 and all proved to be satisfactory.
The following is a summary of the bacteriological findings: -
BACTERIOLOGICAL REPORTS ON SAMPLES OF SWIMMING BATH WATERS TAKEN THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
| DULWICH BATHS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIRST CLASS BATH | SECOND CLASS BATH | |||
| Plate count yeastrel agar 48 hrs. 37°C aerobically colonies per ml. | Probable No. of coliform bacilli MacConkey 48 hrs. 37°C colonies per 100 ml. | Plate count yeastrel agar 48 hrs. 37°C aerobically colonies per ml. | Probable No. of coliform bacilli MacConkey 48 hrs. 37°C colonies per 100 ml. | |
| January | – | – | 1 | 0 |
| February | – | – | 6 | 0 |
| March | – | – | 5 | 0 |
| April | – | – | 3 | 0 |
| May | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| June | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| July | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| August | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| September | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| October | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| November | – | – | 7 | 0 |
| December | – | – | 2 | 0 |