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
Heston and Isleworth 1919
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Heston and Isleworth]
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a carcase affected by Tuberculosis. Successful proceedings followed
this seizure, and the occupier of the slaughterhouse was
fined £160. One other carcase, also tuberculous, wa6 surrendered
during the year. It is to be feared, however, that these were not
the only tuberculous carcases which may have been intended and
used for the food of man during 1919. The remedy does not lie
merely in increased staff and supervision, because unless the times
of killing were definitely restricted to certain days and hours it
would be practically impossible to exercise adequate supervision
over all the various slaughter-houses in the district. Complete
supervision would appear to he only possible by means of a public
abattoir, directly under the control of the Local Authority.
As I stated in a report to the Health Committee, urging the
necessity for bringing the sanitary inspecting staff at least up to
its pre-war strength, I consider the attention paid to food inspection
in this district as quite insufficient.
The quantity of unsound food found during the year was as
follows:—
| Tons | cwt. | qrs. | lbs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 2 | 19 | 1 | 1 |
| Vegetables | 12 | 3 | 19 | |
| Bacon | 2 | 13 | 3 | 13 |
| Meat surrendered | 7 | 1 | 19 | |
| „ seized | 4 | 0 | 21 | |
| Fish | 5 | 0 | 1 | |
| Milk | 100½ galls. | |||
| Other dairy produce | 1 | 0 | 23 | |
INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
General Remarks.
The table on page 39 sets forth by months the number of
cases of infectious diseases notified during the year 1919.
Following upon the re-opening of the Schools after the
summer holidays, an outbreak of Scarlet Fever occurred among
the pupils attending the Spring Grove Girls' School.