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34
The premises of manufacturers of rag flock and those used for storing rag flock require to be
licensed by the local authority; the fee and the renewal fee is £1.0.Od. for a period not exceeding twelve
months.
The premises of persons carrying on business of upholstering, stuffing, or lining of' bedding, toys
and baby carriages, and others using filling materials specified in the Act, have to be registered; only one
fee of £1.0.0d. is chargeable.

There are no premises in Willesden which require to be licensed for the manufacture or storage
of rag flock.
Unfortunately the Act does not cover the re-making of an article, and dirty materials can therefore
be used in upholstering second-hand articles if they do not belong to the occupier.
PET ANIMALS ACT, 1951
Pet shops must now have an annual licence on payment of a fee not exceeding 10/-. During 1954,
19 were licensed, and they were inspected by both sanitary inspectors and Shops Act inspectors.
Sanitary Inspectors inspect premises for size, temperature, lighting, ventilation and cleanliness,
and for the precautions taken for preventing spread of infectious disease.
STAFF MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS
70 staff medical examinations were carried out by the Medical Officer of Health and Deputy
Medical Officer of Health in 1955.
HEALTH SERVICES OF OTHER AUTHORITIES IN THE AREA
Hospitals
The hospital facilities provided by the North-West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board, and
the maternity and child welfare and school health services provided by the Middlesex County Council,
remain substantially the same; they are described in the 1948 and 1953 reports.
On the 8th March, 1955, a new pathological laboratory was opened at the Willesden General
Hospital.
Liaison with Hospitals
The exchange of' medical officers between the Paediatric Out-Patients Department at the Central
Middlesex Hospital and the local health authority was continued.
This scheme has been working very satisfactorily and has brought the work of the two departments
more closely together.
Personal Health Services
The remainder of the report provides detailed information on the personal health services in the
area since the operation of the National Health Service Act, 1946.
CARE OF MOTHERS AND YOUNG CHILDREN
Care of the Expectant Mother.
During 1955, 1,689 expectant mothers (65.3% of the total) attended the local ante-natal clinics
staffed by assistant medical officers (Table 1).
Expectant mothers require adequate ante-natal care throughout pregnancy, and close co-operation
therefore exists between general practitioners, staffs of hospitals, assistant medical officers, mid-wives, and
health visitors.
Health visitors make the initial arrangements for hospital and domiciliary confinements at the
local clinics. (Table 2). Mothers booked for confinement in Paddington Hospital or at home, have specimens
of blood taken by assistant medical officers for Wasserman reaction, blood grouping and Rhesus factor.
All expectant mothers are invited to attend the mass X-ray unit at Central Middlesex Hospital.