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41
CRUDE SPIRIT DRINKING
The Southwark Metropolitan Borough Council has been concerned
with regard to crude spirit drinking for two reasons, namely: -
(a) to protect the local residents from the undoubted
nuisance caused by crude spirit drinkers, who,
strangers to the locality, practice this habit in
public places and
(b) to rehabilitate these people and so prevent further
deterioration.
To this end the Southwark Borough Council convened a meeting
on the 27th February, 1964 which was attended by representatives of
the London County Council, the City Corporation, the Stepney Borough
Council, the Metropolitan Police and the Salvation Army, as well as
Southwark Borough Councillors. Mr. Ray Gunter, Member of Parliament
for Southwark, was unfortunately unable to attend but the meeting
had the benefit of the advice of Dr. R.V. Phillipson, O.B.E.,ofthe
Ministry of Health, Dr. J. Griffith Edwards, The Maudsley Hospital.
Dr. H. D. Chalke, who in addition to being Medical Officer of Health
of Camberwell, is Chairman of the Camberwell Council on Alcoholism,
was present as well as Mr. C.A. Preece, After-Care Officer, of the
Royal London Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society which has done such
valuable work in this field; Dr. J.E. Epsom. The Medical Officer
of Health of Bermondsey was represented.
The Chair was taken by Councillor W. A. Miller, Chairman of the
Southwark Public Health Committee, who welcomed the delegates and outlined
the reasons for calling the meeting. The Medical Officer of
Health for Southwark was asked to enlarge upon the position in
Southwark; he emphasised that the meeting was concerned with the
drinking of crude spirits rather than with the whole field of alcoholism.
Southwark, Stepney and the City appeared to be mainly affected
and in southwark the finding of surgical spirit bottles on open
spaces and bomb sites suggested that surgical spirits was increasingly
being consumed as compared with methylated spirits. Whereas
in Scotland the sale of surgical spirit is controlled to the same
extent as methylated spirits, in England there are no such controls.
Dr. Cameron referred to the financial assistance given by the London
County Council to the East London Mission, The Camberwell Samaritans
and the Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society, for work amongst alcoholics
and he drew the attention of the meeting to measures which had been
suggested by Dr. Griffith Edwards, namely provisionof work andspecial
hostels for rehabilitation.
Councillor J. Olley, of Stepney Borough Council, stated that
there were about 100 crude spirit drinkers in that Borough. He
called for greater liason between the Police and the Medical Profession
and emphasised the need for compulsion so that these addicts
could receive treatment. He also felt that the Government should