London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1926
The annual report on the health of the Borough for the year1926
This page requires JavaScript
II.—Defects Found.
| Particulars. | Number of Defects. | Number of Prosecutions. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Found. | Remedied. | Referred to H.M. Inspector. | |||
| Want of cleanliness | 123 | 120 | – | – | |
| Want of ventilation | 6 | 6 | – | – | |
| Overcrowding | 4 | 4 | – | – | |
| Want of drainage of floors | 4 | 4 | – | – | |
| Other nuisances | 47 | 47 | – | – | |
| Sanitary accommodation | insufficient | 15 | 15 | – | – |
| unsuitable or defective | 31 | 30 | – | – | |
| not separate for sexes | 9 | 9 | – | – | |
| Illegal occupation of underground bakehouse (S. 101) | 1 | 1 | – | – | |
| Breach of special sanitary requirements for bakehouses (SS. 97 to 100) | – | – | _ | – | |
| Other Offences (Excluding offences relating to outwork and offences under the Sections mentioned in the Schedule to the Ministry of Health (Factories and Workshops Transfer of Powers) Order, 1921) | 1 | 1 | – | – | |
| Total | 241 | 237 | – | – | |
* Including those specified in Sections 2, 3, 7 and 8 of the Factory and Workshop Act as remediable under the Public
Health Acts.
III.—Outwork in Unwholesome Premises (Section 108).
No case came to my notice during the year of outwork being carried on in unwholesome premises.
FOOD SUPPLY.
MILK SUPPLY.
Milk and Dairies (Consolidation) Act, 1915.—This Act, the operation of which was postponed
owing to War conditions, came into force on September 1st, 1925. It has for its main object the
prevention of the sale of tuberculous milk. Under this Act County Councils and County Borough
Councils may make an order which will prohibit the sale of infected milk in any area. In this
connection it should be pointed out that the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries has made
a Tuberculosis Order which came into operation on September 1st, 1925. This Order provides
for the slaughter of bovine animals infected with certain specified forms of tuberculosis and
for the payment of compensation in respect of animals so slaughtered. It will be the duty
of the local authority, when in the exercise of their powers under the Act they discover the
presence in a herd of an animal to which the Order applies, to cause it to be slaughtered in
pursuance of the Order.
When this Act came into operation the Council decided that a number of samples of milk
should be taken each year for the purpose of examination for the presence of tubercle bacilli.
In the year 1926, twelve samples were taken and in no case were the organisms detected. If a
sample were found to contain tubercle bacilli, the County Council or the County Borough Council
exercising authority in the area from which the milk came, would be notified in order that steps
might be taken under this Act and the Tuberculosis Order to prevent milk from the infected cow
or cows being used further for human consumption.
The Act enlarges the powers of officers of local authorities to take samples of milk for
chemical examination, and such samples may, under the Act, be taken at any time before the milk
is delivered to the consumer. Perhaps the most important change of the law effected as far as
Kensington is concerned is in connection with the third schedule which amends the provisions of
the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts with regard to the warranty defence. When the purveyor
proposes to plead such a defence he must give notice to the local authority so that a sample from
a corresponding milking can be taken in the course of transit or delivery to the purveyor; and if
the owner of the cows so requests, a further sample must be taken at the dairy at which the cows