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51
The Council's medical officer deals with those children who have been or are nurseinfants
under the supervision of the public health department. During the year
1931 the total number of applications dealt with by this department was 48. The
result of the hearings were as follows :—43 full adoption orders and 4 interim adoption
orders made ; 1 application adjourned sine die.
Examination of Staff.
On the resignation of Sir John Collie on 15th February, 1931, the work of
examining members of the staff of the Council, other than that under the direction
of the Education Committee, was transferred to the public health department.
The following is an analysis of the 6,540 examinations made during the 10J months
under review :—
Entrants 1,057
Sickness cases 4,949*
Casualties, illness, etc., at County Hall 534
* 266 of these were dealt with in the first instance by telephone and correspondence.

* Including cases of hernia, debility, disease of the digestive system, glycosuria, non-malignant
growth, diverticulitis of the gullet.
During this period, 250 visits were paid to the homes of officers and employees,
who had left London either for treatment or in order to reside with relatives ; these
involved journeys as far as Newport and Weston-super-Mare in the west, and Norwich
and Lowestoft in the east.
Work of the Chemical Branch.
The work of the branch is carried out at four laboratories, viz., the central
laboratory at County Hall, the laboratories at the Northern and Southern outfalls,
and at Greenwich power station.
Central
laboratory.
The greater part of the work done at the central laboratory has consisted,
as in previous years, of the examination of materials of all kinds bought by or used
for the Council, and of water, air, materials which have failed in use, and other
matters arising out of the Council's undertakings. Besides these a considerable
number of samples have been examined in connection with the Petroleum Acts
and the Fertilizers and Feeding Stuffs Act, 1926.