London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Battersea 1944

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]

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7
Sanitary Circumstances.

Sanitary Circumstances. The following table sets out in summarised form the details of the work of the department in relation to sanitation :—

Complaints received3,466
House inspections21,119
Shop Act inspections14
Factory, etc., inspections2,367
Gipsy van inspections
Drains Smoke tests19
Water tests150
Relaid15
Repaired221
Plans received30
Persons cleansed (including 3,931 children)5,729
Premises disinfected992
Articles disinfected18,031
Water supply—
New houses certified
Additional to tenement houses1
Water closets provided, etc.7
Smoke observations73
Notices served—
Intimation1,463
Statutory—
Sections 197 and 220232
Fifth schedule, etc.607
Mortuary—
Bodies received468
P.M. examinations468
Inquests68

Scabies and Vermin. —The number of baths given to persons
suffering from scabies during the year was 3,839 (1,618 adults and
2,221 children). The falling off in the number of baths from that
of 1943 (5,624) is partly due to the fact that with the benzyl benzoate
treatment which is now provided a single bath is sufficient
in most cases whereas under the treatment previously available
three baths were necessary.
One notice was served under the Scabies Order, and it was found
necessary to resort to legal proceedings. The defendant, in his
absence, was fined one shilling.
The number of baths given for other verminous conditions was
1,890 (180 adults; 1,710 children).
Head Lice. —It has been the practice for many years to refer
to the Personal Cleansing Station all cases of head lice discovered
by the staff during home visiting, at the Welfare Centres, or at
War-Time Nurseries.
1,633 children referred by the school medical service were
treated for head lice.
Legal proceedings to enforce various requirements or for the
recovery of penalties incurred by the breach of statutory requirements
were taken in 23 instances ; fines were inflicted amounting to
£29 3s. 0d. and costs to £l5 15s. 0d.
Factories and Homework.—The number of factories in which
mechanical means are used decreased by 1 to 247, and of nonmechanical
factories decreased by 11 to 113. Inspections of these
Premises numbered 1,770. The number of homeworkers decreased
by 53 to 72.
Bakehouses numbered 40 at the end of the year, 10 of which
a re underground bakehouses. One of the 40 premises does not
r ank as a factory since only the proprietor works on the premises.
83 inspections of bakehouses were made during 1944.