London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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City of Westminster 1954

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]

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39
Burial or Cremation of the Dead.
Under the provisions of Section 50 of the National Assistance Act.
1948, it is the duty of the City Council as a Sanitary Authority to cause
to be buried or cremated the body of any person who has died or is
found dead in the area, where no other arrangements have been made
for the disposal of the body.
The Council is empowered to recover the cost of burial from the
estate of the deceased, and is eligible to rcceive payments in respect of
the cost of such burial from death grants payable under the provisions of
the National Insurance Act, 1946.
Where persons without known relatives die in the City, it is frequently
necessary not only to arrange for their burial, but to dispose of the
contents of their homes. This course is necessary to enable the proceeds
to be applied towards the cost of burial and also to avoid rent accruing and
to release the accommodation for housing purposes as early as possible.

During the year 28 burials were undertaken by the City Council in its cemetery at Hanwell, the requests for such burials being received from the following sources :—

H.M. Coroner's Officer8
Relatives of the deceased12
Friends of the deceased2
Hospitals in the City5
Home help1
28

Coroner's Court and Mortuary. During 1954, 274 bodies were received in the Mortuary on Coroner' Warrants, etc. Four bodies were admitted to await burial.

Number of Cases.
Inquest cases91
Non-inquest cases183
Post mortem examinations held212
Causes of death in the foregoing were as under :—
Accidental drowning
Found drowned3
Suicide by drowning1
„ by other means33
Accidents—
Street9
Domestic8
Others13
Natural causes183
Misadventure7
Murder1
Miscellaneous cases16