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
Hammersmith 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hammersmith Borough]
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36
Approximately £ 134 was received for treatment at Business
premises.
The photographs in last year's Report were evidently of
great interest as they brought many enquiries and the Ministry
of Agriculture and Fisheries had slides made for lecturing
purposes.
The following is a summary of the work for the year, with the comparable figures for 1953 in parenthesis:—
| Premises inspected:— | ||
| Dwellings 725 (470); Business 1,251 (1,312) 1,976 (1,782) | ||
| Complaints of rats 404 (314), mice 213 (153) 617 (467) | ||
| "Discovered" other than by complaint:— | ||
| Dwellings 68 (102) Business 33 (32) | 101 | (134) |
| Premises infested by rats:— | ||
| Dwellings 284 (299), Business 47 (59) | 331 | (358) |
| Premises infested by mice:— | ||
| Dwellings 180 (173), Business 24 (30) | 204 | (203) |
| Premises treated for infestation | 535 | (550) |
| Notices served relating to Rodent Control | 91 | (53) |
| Inspections and re-inspection by Sanitary Inspectors re rodent control | 3,333 | (3,192) |
Atmospheric Pollution.
In February two new stations were set up for measuring
and recording the extent of atmospheric pollution.
The station in Australia Road is a lead peroxide instrument
measuring the quantity of sulphur gases and is situated on the
roof of a school in a large and fairly new housing estate. The
other, in Westville Road, is a deposit guage collecting grit, ash
and fine particles of matter. This instrument is also on the roof
of a school in the centre of a well populated area of older type
properties.
These two stations are in addition to a lead peroxide
instrument which is maintained by the London County Council
in Ravenscourt Park.
During the year the Council agreed to set up two more
stations, this time for carrying out examinations daily on the
volumetric system, and these will be situated at the Council's
Depot in Hythe Road in the extreme north of the Borough in an
area which consists almost wholly of factories. The other at
Westcott Lodge, on the river front near the Town Hall.
During the year 189 observations of non-domestic chimneys
in the Borough were made by the Sanitary Inspectors, as a result
of which two Notices were served to abate smoke nuisances.