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 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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| (ii) Number of dwelling-houses demolished in pursuance of demolition orders | Nil |
| (ii) Proceedings under section 12 of the Housing Act, 1936— (i) Number of separate tenements or underground rooms in respect of which closing orders were made | 273 (540 rooms) |
| (ii) Number of separate tenements or underground rooms in respect of which closing orders were determined, the tenements or rooms having been rendered fit | 44 (87 rooms) |
| 4. Housing Act, 1936, Part IV—Overcrowding :— | |
| (a) (i) Number of dwellings overcrowded at the end of the year | 1,927 |
| (ii) Number of families dwelling therein | 1,927 |
| (iii) Number of " equivalent " persons dwelling therein | 8,623 |
| 68 | |
| (ii) Number of " equivalent " persons concerned in such cases | 335£ |
| (c) (i) Number of cases of overcrowding relieved during the year | 175 |
| (ii) Number of " equivalent " persons concerned in such cases | 846* |
| Nil |
Note.—In obtaining the " number of equivalent persons " children between the ages of one
and ten years are counted as " half-persons." Infants under one year of age are not counted.
INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD.
Milk and Dairies (Consolidation) Act, 1915.—The council have decided that a number of samples
of milk shall be taken each year for the purpose of examination for the presence of tubercle bacilli.
In the year 1938 eleven samples were so examined, and in every case a negative result was
obtained.
Composition of Milk Samples.—Of the 461 samples of milk taken under the Food and Drugs
(Adulteration) Act, 1928, in 1938, seven were found to be adulterated.
This statement does not give any indication of the general quality of the milk supplied in
the borough, and it will therefore be interesting to note from the following table the average
composition of the samples taken :—
| Month. | Number of samples taken. | Average composition of all samples submitted, genuine and adulterated. | Average composition of genuine samples. | Ministry of Agriculture standard. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of milk fat. | Percentage of solids not fat. | Percentage of milk fat. | Percentage of solids not fat. | Percentage of milk fat. | Percentage of solids not fat. | ||
| January | 42 | 3-65 | 8-82 | 3-65 | 8-82 | ||
| February | 42 | 3-64 | 8-85 | 3-64 | 8-85 | ||
| March | 27 | 3-44 | 8-77 | 3-44 | 8-77 | ||
| 13 | 3-37 | 8-86 | 3-37 | 8-86 | |||
| May ...... | 44 | 3-17 | 8-86 | 3-33 | 8-82 | ||
| June ... | 32 | 3-38 | 8-78 | 3-38 | 8-78 | 3 0 | 8-5 |
| July ...... | 38 | 3-52 | 8-78 | 3-52 | 8-78 | ||
| August | 56 | 3-46 | 8-73 | 3-46 | 8-73 | ||
| September | 8 | 3-52 | 8*81 | 3 *52 | 8 *81 | Avbragb composition of normal cow's milk. | |
| October November | 72 52 | 3-68 3- 70 | 8*70 8-80 | 3-73 3-70 | 8 *80 8-81 | ||
| December | 35 | 3-74 | 8-85 | 3*74 | 8*85 J | ||
| 461 | 3-52 | 8-80 | 3*54 | 8-8-1 | 3.7 | 8.9 | |
The table shows that the average fat and non-fatty solid content for each month of the
is well above the legal standard, and makes it clear that suspicion should fall on every sample which
at any time of the year shows a fat content as low as three per cent.