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
Coulsdon and Purley 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Coulsdon]
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There are no doubt many more cases than recorded, and the housing
lists of Local Authorities are an indication of the urgency of the problem.
Wherever possible, the Council's Housing Department has endeavoured
to assist in the most urgent cases, but even so the number of known cases
of statutory overcrowding, which represents a very low standard, had, by
December, increased by 9 on the total of the previous year.
WATER SUPPLY.
The water supply of the District was, as in previous years, provided
by the Sutton and District Water Company and the East Surrey Water
Company, with a private supply supplementing, as necessary, at Cane Hill
Hospital.
No samples of raw water were taken during the year, but routine
samples of the treated water were submitted quarterly for bacteriological
and chemical examination. The Water Companies and the Local
Authorities affected also supplied the Department with copies of the
reports on the samples taken by them. No complaints were received
during the year with regard to the quality or quantity of water supplied
by the Companies, and no unsatisfactory reports were received on the
samples taken in the District.
The results of two chemical examinations and two bacteriological
examinations are given below and these are fairly typical of the reports
received:—
Chemical Analysis.
| Sutton and District Water Company. | East Surrey Water Company. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parts per 100,000. | Grains per Gallon. | Parts per 100,000. | Grains per Gallon. | |
| Total solids (dried at 180°C.) | 20.0 | 14.0 | 17.0 | 11.9 |
| Combined chlorine (CI) | 1.8 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
| equivalent to Sodium Chloride (Na C1) | 3.0 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 2.0 |
| Nitric nitrogen (Nitrates) | 0.70 | 0.49 | 0.80 | 0.56 |
| Nitrous nitrogen (Nitrites) | trace present | trace present | ||
| Ammoniacal nitrogen | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| Albuminoid nitrogen | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| Oxygen absorbed in 4 hours at 27°C. | 0.024 | 0.017 | 0.012 | 0.008 |
| Lead or Copper | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| Temporary hardness ( equivalent | 8.0 | 5.6 | 4.5 | 3.2 |
| Permanent hardness ( to ) | 3.0 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 2.1 |
| Total hardness ( CaC03 ) | 11.0 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 5.3 |
Bacteriological Examination.
Probable number of coliform bacilli,
MacConkey 2 days, 37°C. 0 per 100 ml. 0 per 100 ml.
There are no private wells in use in the District; all houses are
provided with a mains supply laid into the house, and there are no standpipes
for common use.
A total of 48 samples were taken from the supplies of the two Companies
and examined for hardness by the Department, all of which were
satisfactory.
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