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to that effect produced. During the year 22 Certificates relating to 382
articles were issued and a nominal charge of 2/6d was made for each Certificate.
Once again the proprietors of Olympia supplied mattresses for people
who had to sleep on the premises during various shows particularly the
Dairy show and 240 such mattresses were dealt with after this Show.
On three occasions help was given to families suffering water damage
to bedding by using the steam steriliser for drying purposes.
Use was made of Section 43 of the London county council (General Powers)
Act 1953 to treat a lad;' of 84 years with head and body lice impetigo of
the head and face and with a mild Scabies infection She was conveyed to
and from the Baths.
Impetigo responding to treatment was encountered four times during
the year Each case was a secondary infection of ped capitis and treated
with Uhydrargyri. This was a commonplace infection in pre war days aver
age about 300 per year but is rarely seen nowadays
Health Laundry.
The Health Laundry service has now completed its fifth full year of
good work as a service second to none in the Metropolitan area.
The new building and equipment can cope with all requests expected for
some years to come. The arrangements are up to expectations and the average
time taken for washing linen of an incontinent person from start to
finish including ironing is about one and a half hours As the work
through the machine once started is continuous (washer hydro extractor
and tumbler dryer) a clean bundle of bedding is ironed ready for delivery
about every half hour.
These new machines went into action in March 1957 and it is now possible
to offer all patients a much needed twice weekly collection and de
livery This more frequent cleaning also offers additional aid to other
services such as District Nurses and Home Helps
The time has now arrived in Hammersmith when the Laundry Service takes
a place with the other domiciliary services as an accepted relief to many
of the chronic sick. The reliability on the Department for quickly returned
clean bedding is appreciated and well known.
Requests come mainly from Home Helps District Nurses Hospitals Doctors
and Welfare Associations.
It should be appreciated that this is an essential service which covers
only those cases falling within the terms of Section 122 of the Public
Health (London) Act, 1936.
During the year 32 new cases were added to the list of patients and
511 certificates were signed authorising the laundering of bed linen etc
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