Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bethnal Green Borough]
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FOOD
1956-58 (average) | 1959 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1945 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unsound Food Seizures | 2 | 1 | 5 | |||
Surrenders | 19 | 16 | 41 | 45 | ¡l 76 | 204 |
Samples of Food taken | 724 | 690 | 559 | 557 | 578 | 520 |
% of adulteration (all samples) | 5-9 | 5.9 | 5.2 | 6.5 | 5.9 | 5.1 |
% of adulteration (inilk samples) | 2.6 | 2.7 | 5.8 | 5.5 | 0.7 | Nil |
The increase in the number of unsound food surrenders and
the larger amount involved do not represent any deterioration in
the conduct of the food trades but are mostly due to the facts
that retailors have to surrender any unfit food, however small
the quantity, in order to recover the points value under the
rationing orders and that so iuuc'h more canned food, which has
often to be stored for long periods, is now being consumed.
SANITATION Notwithstanding the smaller number of houses and population in the borough and the further reduction in the staff available the sanitary work is still kept at a high level as the following figures show.
1936-53 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Infectious disease and food poisoning | 2074 | 865 | 404 | 663 | 930 | 1221 |
Complaints | 4756 | 4293 | 3625 | 3305 | 4226 | 3947 |
House to house inspection | 672 | 451 | - | 4 | - | - |
I'otal Visits | 44,608 | 44, 954 | 32,627 | 51,277 | 36,363 | 35,092 |
Premises where nuisances absted | 5657 | 4658 | 5592 | 3172 | 3585 | 5184 |
Preliminary notices | 5575 | 6234 | 4312 | 3585 | 4280 | 3675 |
Nuisance notices | 2474 | 3109 | 1878 | 1647 | 1623 | 1355 |
DISINFECTION
The Personal. Cleansing Station continues to be very well
used for the treatment of cases of Scabies, as many as 195 men,
502 women, and 446 children attending for this purpose and having
a total of 2405 treatments. The disifecting staff also sprayed
713 rooms and disinfected 34,049 articles.