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
Kensington 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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or renewal of an annual licence authorising him to manufacture rag flock
or to use his premises as a rag flock store, may grant or renew the
licence on payment of a fee of one pound. No licences have been issued
in Kensington.
If on registered premises there are unclean filling materials,
the occupier shall be guilty of an offence; and it is also an offence
to sell or offer for sale any article which is upholstered with unclean
filling materials (second-hand articles axe excepted).
Inspections of the registered premises were made during the year and five samples of rag flock and other fillings were taken for analysis. The results were satisfactory.
| Description | No. of samples taken | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Algerian fibre | 1 | ||
| Coir fibre | 2 | ||
| Cotton felt | 1 | ||
| Woollen mixture felt | 1 |
Pet Animals Act. 1951
This Act requires that no person shall keep a pet shop except
under the authority of a licence issued by the Council and in compliance
with any conditions specified in the licence.
During the year, eight premises were licensed under the Act.
The general conditions for pet shops approved by the Council are those
recommended for their constituent councils by the Metropolitan Boroughs'
Standing Joint Committee. Two applications for licenses were refused
as the conditions of sale were unsatisfactory.
Health Education
Health education is an important activity of both central and
local authorities and forms an integral part of the National Health Service.
For many years the Council have made an annual grant to the
Central Council for Health Education, which is the body recognised by
the Minister of Health as the medium through which health education material
is distributed throughout England and Wales.
During 1959, a Working Party, set up by the Local Authorities'
Associations, suggested a formula, based on population statistics, for
minimum contributions to the Central Council by local authorities. (The
formula approved by the Local Authorities' Associations, provided that no
request for increased contribution rates be made by the Central Council
within five years.) On the new basis, the Council increased their annual
grant to the Central Council from fifteen guineas to £23. Os. Od. for the
year I959/196O.
Good use was made of the services available, and posters,
leaflets, and other material were frequently obtained from the Central
Council for use in Kensington.
The Council continued to purchase copies of "Better Health"
(the monthly journal of the Central Council for Health Education) for
free distribution to members of the public.
Bookmarks are a most valuable form of health propaganda, and the
Borough Librarian and his staff readily co-operated with the public health
department during the year in distributing bookmarks to members of the public