London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1934
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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an ambulance belonging to the adjoining out-county authority shall be conveyed by
that authority to their homes, etc., within the county of London.
In some cases, however, the authorities concerned have felt unable to enter
into mutual arrangements on this basis.
Demands
by Police
for use of
ambulance.
It has been arranged that demands on the driver by the Police for the immediate
use of any ambulance shall be complied with, if practicable, the Police
being informed if the ambulance was conveying or had conveyed an infectious case.
The measles
epidemic.
The measles epidemic, combined with the high incidence of infectious diseases
generally, necessitated the taking of measures for utilising to the greatest advantage
the accommodation at the various hospitals, and thereby threw additional work
upon the Council's ambulances, the work being further increased by direct admissions
to the hospitals at Dartford and to Queen Mary's hospital, Carshalton.
The following table shows the weekly mileage run by the vehicles of the general ambulance section:—
| Four (or five) weeks ended— | |
| 25th November, 1933 | 40,325 miles a week. |
| 30th December, 1933 (5 weeks) | 39,059 ,, |
| 27th January, 1934 | 42,166 ,, |
| 24th February, 1934 | 47,665 ,, |
| 31st March, 1934 (5 weeks) | 51,904 ,, |
| 28th April, 1934 | 46,142 ,, |
| 26th May, 1934 | 39,789 ,, |
| 30th June, 1934 (5 weeks) | 36,743 ,, |
| 28th July, 1934 | 33,492 ,, |
| 25th August, 1934 | 28,048 ,, |
The maximum weekly mileage was 54,458 during the week ended 17th March,
1934, when 3,883 journeys were undertaken. This compares with a maximum
mileage of 48,594 during the epidemic of 1932 when 3,372 journeys were undertaken.
Similar maximum figures for the four previous years are as follows:—
1930—week ended 22nd November 34,110
1931 do. 14th February 36,481
1932 do. 19th March 48,594
1933 do. 25th November 41,191
The highest mileage run on any one day during the epidemic period was 9,274,
on 28th March, 1934, the number of admissions to the infectious hospitals being
217. The highest mileages during the preceding years were:—
1931— 7th December 6,224
1932—25th April 8,614
1933—11th December 7,395
In order to deal with the situation it was necessary to bring into service 16
additional ambulances which are held in reserve for unusual eventualities.
Ambulance
stations.
The following is a list of the ambulance stations.—
Name of Station. Address.
Battersea 119, Battersea-rise, S.W.ll.
Bloomsbury 19, Herbrand-street, Tavistock-place, W.C.I.
Brook Shooter's-hill, S.E.18.
Eastern Brooksby's-walk, E.9.
Elephant & Castle 15, St. George's Market, London-road, S.E.I.
Hackney Paragon-road, Mare-street, Hackney, E.9.
Highbury Corsica-street, Highbury, N.5.
Lee 142, High-road, Lee, S.E.13.
North Kensington Silchester-mews, North Kensington, W.10.
North-Western Lawn-road, N.W.3.
Old Kent-road Canterbury road, S.E.15.
Paddington Lyons-place, St. John's Wood, N.W.8.
Poplar 7, Woolmore-street E.14.