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24
PUBLIC MORTUARY FACILITIES
No mortuary premises have been maintained in the Borough during recent
years. Under an agreement with Hammersmith Borough Council, facilities at
their Mortuary in Fulham Palace Road, W.6, are readily available to this
authority. During 1955, two hundred and twenty-one Post-Mortems without
Inquests, and fifty-nine Post Mortems with Inquests were carried out in
respect of Chelsea residents.
DESTRUCTION OF PIGEONS
Occasionally, complaints are received of nuisances caused by pigeons.
An officer is not specifically employed to deal with such matters, and it
is the practice to refer them to a firm who specialise in the trapping and
despatching of these birds, for which no charge is made to the Council. A
considerable number of pigeons were trapped and humanely despatched during
the year.
The Public Health (London) Act, 1936, section 123, empowers a local
authority to take action to minimise the numbers of pigeons in its area, and
to abate nuisances arising from concentrations of these birds.
MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS
Fifty examinations were performed to ascertain whether persons appointed
to positions in the Council's employment were fit for admission to the
authority's superannuation scheme, and all but three were found to be of a
Satisfactory health standard.
MASS RADIOGRAPHY
It was not possible for a Mobile X-Ray Unit to visit Chelsea during the
year, but facilities were constantly available at Grove Hospital, Tooting.
Early in 1956 it is anticipated that the Mass X-Ray Service will be transferred
from the above hospital to St. James' Hospital, Balham, where members of the
public may attend from Mondays to Fridays for examination, without the
necessity of making appointments. The HQ offices of the Service are also to
be moved, and will eventually be located at Western Hospital, Seagrave Road,
Fulham, and until these transfers and consequent re-organisations have been
completed, no details as to visits to adjacent boroughs during 1956 can be give.