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
Merton and Morden 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Merton & Morden]
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SECTION C—SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES.
Water Supply. The district is supplied by the Metropolitan
Water Board and by the Sutton District Water
Company. Their respective distributive areas are approximately
the parishes of Merton and Morden.
The supply of the Metropolitan Water Board is only
sampled infrequently as a routine otherwise samples are taken
when circumstances indicate the necessity for local investigation.
The Board supplies copies of their official minutes in
which the results of their examinations are recorded.
Routine examination of the Sutton District Water Company's
supply is undertaken by the Authorities in the supply
area upon an agreed rota which provides for bacteriological
and chemical samples each month. The Company in addition
to the daily examinations undertaken by their own full-time
Chemist arrange for Consulting Chemists to undertake
monthly examinations. Copies of the reports of these Consulting
Chemists are received by local Medical Officers of
Health whilst the records of the Company's own analysis are
available for inspection by the Medical Officers.
The report on the chemical and bacteriological examination of a sample taken from a domestic tap in Morden on the 19th May, 1938, was as follows:—
| (1) CHEMICAL. | Parts per 100,000 | Grains per Gallon. |
|---|---|---|
| Total solids (dried at 120°C) | 18.5 | 13.0 |
| Combined chlorine (as Cl) | 2.10 | 1.47 |
| Equivalent to Sodium Chloride (NaCl) | 3.47 | 2.43 |
| Nitric nitrogen (Nitrates) | 1.00 | 0.70 |
| Nitrous nitrogen (Nitrites) | Nil | Nil |
| Ammoniacal nitrogen | Nil | Nil |
| Albuminoid nitrogen | 0.0006 | 0.0004 |
| Oxygen absorbed in 4 hours at 27°C | 0.004 | 0.003 |
| Lead or Copper | Nil | Nil |
| Temporary hardness (equivalent to CaCO3) | 5.0 | 3.5 |
| Permanent hardness (equivalent to CaCO3) | 6.0 | 4.2 |
| Total harness (equivalent to CaCO3) | 11.0 | 7.7 |
(II) BACTERIOLOGICAL.
The average number of organisms producing
visible colonies on gelatine plates, incubated
at 20°C for three days is found to be 2 per c.c.
The average number of organisms producing
visible colonies on agar plates, incubated at
37.5°0 for two days is found to be less than 1 per c.c.
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