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21
Rheumatism Clinic. ,
The Order of St. John Clinic for Rheumatism and other diseases
which had been operating in Ranelagh Road for many years for the
treatment of rheumatic complaints was closed during the year. The
City Council have for some years made an annual grant of £100 to the
Clinic for their work in the treatment of the poorer inhabitants of the
district.
Medical Inspection of Aliens.
At the request of the Minister of Health, the City Council made
arrangements to resume the medical inspection of aliens arriving at
Victoria Station by through sleeping car service from Paris, which arrangement
had ceased on the outbreak of war. The actual inspection is carried
out by medical staff from Westminster Hospital under the supervision of
the Medical Officer of Health, and includes attendance daily at Victoria
Station by medical inspectors to inspect aliens arriving by this service,
and carry out medical examination where necessary. The service recommenced
on the 15th December, 1947. The Government reimburse the
Council the cost of the service.
International Certificates of Vaccination and Inoculation.
Arrangements were made during the year with the British Overseas
Airways Corporation for the authentication by the Medical Officer of
Health of International Certificates of Vaccination and Inoculation completed
by the Corporation's medical stafE or by medical practitioners
practising in Westminster. These certicates are required by passengers
proceeding abroad.
Sanitary Circumstances.
House to House Inspection.
With a view to expediting the repair of defective premises in the
City, house to house inspection was resumed on a modified scale at the
end of August.
Progress was necessarily slow owing to the difficulty of releasing a
sufficient number of sanitary inspectors to carry out the work because
of their heavy duties in other directions. Towards the end of the year
it was found possible to relieve additional sanitary inspectors of duties
in connection with the inspection of empty properties for requisitioning
purposes for housing the homeless. The routine house to house inspection,
however, must still progress slowly and steadily because, as the survey
advances, more and more reinspections become necessary to ensure that
the work required by Intimation Notices is completed satisfactorily.
Intimation Notices have been served under the Public Health (London)
Act, 1936, but when circumstances permit consideration will be given to
the application of the wider powers offered by the Housing Act. The
general or widespread operation of these powers is at present not
practicable in view of the difficulty of rehousing the families concerned,
although since the end of the war one demolition order in regard to a
whole house, and numbers of closing orders regarding unfit parts of
houses, have already been made.