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218
Annual Report of the London County Council, 1912
to the reason specified above. The Council therefore decided to enter into a temporary arrangement for
the provision of accommodation for about 500 persons at a time in institutions belonging to the Board.
Notification
of tuberculosis.
On 19th December, 1912, the Local Government Board issued the Public Health (Tuberculosis)
Regulations, 1912. These regulations, which will be in operation on and after 1st February, 1913,
consolidate and in some respects amend the previous regulations of 1908 and 1911 (two) which related
to the notification of cases of pulmonary tuberculosis. The most important change effected by the
new regulations is that cases of tuberculosis of all kinds must be notified to the local medical officer
of health by the medical practitioner who detects the case. The Local Government Board in its
circular letter forwarding copies of the new regulations stated that more than half of the deaths from
non-pulmonary tuberculosis were of children under five years of age and that it was probable that a
much higher percentage of persons suffering from non-pulmonary tuberculosis were children of this age.
The Board, therefore, expressed the hope that the notification of these cases would facilitate the
investigation of sources of infection and assist in securing improvement in the conditions under which
the children lived. The duty of taking preventive measures devolves in London upon the local
medical officers of health. Each of these officers is also required to send weekly to the county
medical officer of health a statement of every notification received by him under the regulations.
Cerebrospinal
fever
On 26th February, 1907, the Council made an Order, under section 56 of the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891, rendering compulsory, for a period of six months, the notification of all cases of
cerebro-spinal fever (epidemic cerebro-spinal meningitis) within the administrative county of London.
This Order came into force on 12th March, 1907, and the period of its operation was extended from
time to time. On 20th February, 1912, the Council decided to add the disease to the list of diseases
permanently notifiable in London.
It has been arranged with the medical officers of health of the sanitary districts for particulars
of all cases of the disease notified in London to be furnished to the Council. This information is
communicated to every medical officer, who is thus at once put into possession of all available information
as to cases occurring in other districts, and facilities are afforded for observation in the event of
the disease showing any tendency to spread. The services of Dr. Wanklyn, an assistant medical officer
of health, are also available with a view to the investigation of cases in association with medical practitioners
in London, should they so desire. During the year 1912, 105 cases were notified, making a
total of 652 cases since notification became compulsory in 1907.
Acute poliomyelitis.
On 25th July, 1911, the Council made an Order rendering compulsory, up to and including
12th March, 1912, the notification of all cases of acute polio-myehtis or acute polio-encephalitis within
the administrative county of London. During recent years this disease has engaged attention in Europe,
especially in Norway and Germany, as well as in the great cities of the United States of America. It
occurs principally among children, and, not only does it prove fatal in about 11 or 12 per cent. of the
cases, but it frequently causes infantile paralysis among those who survive. The Council decided
on 27th February, 1912, that the disease should be made permanently notifiable, and in arriving at
this decision the Council was, to a great extent, influenced by the fact that the disease may possibly
he mistaken for cerebro-spinal fever referred to ahove.
Census of
homeless
persons.
J.
In 1904,1905, 1907, 1909, 1910 and 1911 censuses were taken, by the medical officer, of homeless
persons in the County of London in order to ascertain the use made of common lodging-houses, and
the provision existing for the accommodation of persons of the poorest class. A further census was
made on the night of 9th February, 1912, and the medical officer submitted a report showing the number
of persons found homeless on that night in the street, on staircases or under arches, the number and
sex of persons who might reasonably be regarded as homeless on the ground of not being able to pay
for a bed, the arrangements made for the shelter of persons of this description, and other information
bearing on the question. The total number of homeless persons found was 1,203 as compared
with 1,785 at the census in 1911. It is worthy of note that on the night of the census there was vacant
accommodation for 6,798 persons in common lodging-houses and for 781 persons in casual wards.
Following the practice adopted in previous years, the report was printed and placed on sale.*
Milk.
During the year under review the reports presented to the Council on the administration of
Part IV. of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1907, showed that between the date
of the coming into operation of the Act and 31st December, 1912, 10,638 samples of milk forwarded
from places outside the county had been examined, with the result that 1,071, or 10.1 per cent., proved
tuberculous. During the year, 2,991 samples were taken, of which 241 were found to be tuberculous.
The Council's veterinary inspector has visited, for inspection purposes, since the Act came into
operation, 2,101 farms and inspected 55,947 cows, of which number 637, or 1.1 per cent., were found
to be affected with tuberculosis of the udder. During the year 479 farms were visited and 11,640 cows
were examined, of which 63 were found with tuberculous udders. The owners of the animals affected
undertook that the use for human consumption of the milk should be discontinued immediately.
Under the provisions of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1904, the cows in
London cowsheds are examined about six times in the year by a veterinary inspector appointed by
the Council. During the year under review 22 animals have been seized and slaughtered under the
Act, and compensation amounting to about £240 has been paid, the post-mortem examination
showing in each case that the udder of the animal was tuberculous.
During the year the Council again considered what steps should be taken to secure a pure and
wholesome supply of milk for London. In this connection the Council was to a great extent guided by
* Report by the Medical Officer, submitting the result of a census of homeless persons taken on the night of
9th February, 1912. (No. 1489.) Price 2d.