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Consultation Centres were opened under the control of the
Greenwich Health Society.
During 1910 the Council appointed a Woman Sanitary
Inspector specifically for supervising Houses-let-in-lodgings
under the L.C.C. Byelaws, but as the Medical Officer's efforts
to obtain the appointment of a Health Visitor had failed, the
assistance of the Woman Sanitary Inspector was obtained to
carry out certain health visiting duties.
Important legislation was introduced in 1911 including the
National Insurance Act and the Public Health (Tuberculosis)
Regulations which made pulmonary tuberculosis compulsorily
notifiable. These latter regulations enabled the Health Department
to assess more fully the extent of the problem in the area
and the Medical Officer of Health was pressing the Council to
provide a local Tuberculosis Dispensary in order that greater
control could be obtained over this serious and distressing
disease. At this time it would appear that cases of ophthalmic
neonatorum were often coming to the notice of the M.o.H. too
late to prevent permanent eye damage and it was with some
relief that an order by the L.C.C. making this infection
notifiable was received. It was during this same year that the
Greenwich Health Society ceased to function as it was thought
that the Council would more readily appoint a Health Visitor
if the Society was disbanded.
Even at this period of the Council's history complaints
concerning the East Greenwich Generating Station were common
and during 1911 an action was taken against the owners,
viz., the London County Council.
In 1912 the Local Government Board under the Public
Health (London) Act, 1891, sanctioned the notification of
Whooping Cough for a period of 5 years from the 1st June, and
Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis and Poliomyelitis were added
permanently to the list of notifiable diseases.
For a number of years, summer diarrhoea had been one of
the prime causes of infant mortality and during this year the
Council made this complaint notifiable within the months of
June and September and, in addition, a temporary Health Visitor
was appointed for the summer months and arrangements were
made with the Ranyard Nurses and Sisters of St. John the Divine
for systematic home visiting. Subsequent investigations revealed
that many babies of 2 to 3 months were being regaled with
"toffee apples", i.e. small, unripe "windfalls" dipped in syrup