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
Kensington 1929
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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BACTERIOLOGICAL WORK.
| Disease suspected. | Examinations. | Positive. |
|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | 1941 | 112 |
| „ (virulence test) | 1 | - |
| Tuberculosis (Sputum) | 272 | 48 |
| „ (ear swab) | 1 | - |
| Typhoid Fever (Blood) | 29 | 4 |
| „ (Faeces) | 1 | 1 |
| ,, „ (Urine) | 4 | - |
| Gonorrhoea | 42 | 2 |
| Food Poisoning (Faeces) | 28 | 23 |
| „ „ (Urine) | 5 | 1 |
| „ „ (Meat Pies) | 7 | 2 |
| „ „ (Mice) | 4 | - |
| ,, „ (Rat) | 1 | 1 |
| „ „ (Rat Poison) | 1 | — |
| „ „ (Sausages) | 3 | — |
| ,, ,, (Veal) | 2 | — |
| Ringworm. | 1 | — |
The following examinations were also carried out:—
| Milk (bacterial count). | 37 |
| „ (tubercle bacilli) | 28 |
| Swimming bath water (bacterial count) | 6 |
In addition to these examinations at the Kensington Laboratory, 511 specimens of sputum were
examined at the Tuberculosis Dispensary.
PUBLIC BATHS AND WASH-HOUSES.
| Year. | Bathers. |
|---|---|
| 1925 | 265,632 |
| 1926 | 241,349 |
| 1927 | 249,838 |
| 1928 | 257,703 |
| 1929 | 246.085 |
In the Wash-house or Laundry Department, there were 88 wash-tubs in use in 1929. In order
to prevent the wash-tubs being used by professional laundry-women, to the exclusion of women
doing their own family washing, the prices to be paid by a user of a wash-tub are as follow:—
2d. for each of the first four hours on any one day.
4d. for the fifth hour on any one day, and
6d. for the sixth and every succeeding hour on any one day.
The number of women using the wash-tubs in the last five years is shown in the following table:—
| Year. | Washers. |
|---|---|
| 1925 | 105,581 |
| 1926 | 106,568 |
| 1927 | 103,657 |
| 1928 | 97,110 |
| 1929 | 96,192 |
There are 8 washing machines and the charge for the use of one of these machines is 6d. for a
period not exceeding half-an-hour, or 9d. per wash not exceeding a period of one hour with a fee
of 6d. for every additional half-hour or less period. The number of women using these machines
in 1929 was 18,889.
The water in the four swimming baths is filtered and aerated by pulsometer filters. In the two
first-class baths all the water passes through the filters every 6 hours and in the 2nd-class baths
every 4 hours. During the year the water in the four baths was subjected to bacteriological tests
and the results proved entirely satisfactory.