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
Ealing 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]
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34
The Public Health Act, 1936, Section 84, dealing with the
cleansing of filthy articles gives powers to local sanitary authorities
" to cleanse at the authority's expense any article which, upon a
certificate of the Medical Officer of Health or the Sanitary Inspector,
requires to be cleansed in order to prevent injury or danger of
injury to the health of any person in the premises An estimate
was made of the number of persons who might come into this
category on the assumption, which seemed to be borne out in other
districts, that one would have to deal with roughly one to two per
10,000 of the population. General Practitioners are notified
regarding the availability of the scheme and health visitors, district
nurses and home helps are fully acquainted with its working. A few
are also added from time to time by local hospitals from the outpatient
departments of the geriatric units in the district.
The Table below shows in detail the number of cases which have been derived from each source every year since the commencement of the service.
| Cases recommended by | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurses | 30 | 42 | 55 |
| Doctors | 9 | 12 | 5 |
| Home Help Organiser | 5 | 8 | 15 |
| Sanitary Inspectors | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Health Visitors | 1 | 1 | 2 |
When a case that may need the service is brought to our
notice, a visit is paid by the Sanitary Inspector to the household
to confirm that the case is one coming within the provisions of
Section 84, and to explain the working arrangements. A form
(shown here) giving the articles that may be included in the service
is provided.