London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Bermondsey 1928

Report on the sanitary condition of the Borough of Bermondsey for the year 1928

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VII.—PROPAGANDA.
During the year a Health Exhibition was held for the first
time in the history of the Borough. The organisation of the
exhibition was in the hands of Mr. Bush, and was undertaken as
part of the propaganda work of the Public Health Department.
The Exhibition was held in the Hall of the Central Baths,
Grange Road, on March 9th, 10th, 12th, 13th, and 14th. A
detailed description would be out of place here; but some points
in connection with the Exhibition are worth recording.
The ground floor of the Hall was reserved for exhibits directly
connected with Public Health, the much more limited space in
the gallery being allotted to trades interested. Whilst all the
stalls were good, one or two of them appeared to have a special
attraction for the public. For instance, great interest was taken
in the bottle washing, sterilising and filling machines, which were
shown actually working in a model Dairy. A fully equipped
dental clinic with a dental mechanic at work, attracted much
attention, as did also the Light Clinic. Perhaps the most popular
stall was that showing microscopic specimens of various kinds
dealing with the causation of different diseases and including
specimens of contaminated water and infected milk.
During the five days on which the Exhibition was open, the
mornings were reserved for the attendance of school children.
Parties of the older children were taken round the Exhibition by
members of the staff. The tour took about an hour, and five
or six parties were taken round each day, one of the Medical
Officers being in charge of each party. The Exhibition was
opened to the public at 2 p.m., and remained open until 9:30 p.m.
The total number attending during the five days amounted
to 29,500. No attempt was made to provide lectures, but during
the course of each evening one or two short films dealing with
health matters were shown in the hall.
A booklet was issued giving information as to the activities
of the various sections of the Public Health Department. A
brief description of the work of the Tuberculosis Dispensary,