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passing of the Examinations of the Institute of Hospital Administrators has now been
made necessary for advancement to the higher positions of assistant steward, deputy
steward and steward. The policy of allocating clerks to relieve the professional
and nursing staff of the clerical work associated with many of the departments in
hospitals was also expanded.
Group
laboratories

The number of post-mortem examinations carried out by the Central Histological
Laboratory staff during the year was 1,490 (1,216 in 1945) and the number of
histological examinations in the laboratory was 30,626 (27,858 in 1945).
These are the highest totals ever reached since the establishment of the
laboratory in 1931.
In addition to the bacteriological work at the Southern Group Laboratory, this
laboratory manufactures and provides culture media and other laboratory requisites
for all the Council's hospitals. During the war, the Council's organisation was utilised
to cater for the War Office, the Ministry of Health emergency pathological laboratories
and other authorities. This arrangement was continued after the war, upon
request, and although the requirements of the War Office diminished, the total
quantities supplied during 1946 were still considerable, as will be seen from the
following list:—
1940 1945
Culture media 30,291 37,351 litres
Stains and chemical solutions 10,975 6,952 „
Vaccines 23,209 52,284 c.c.s.
Grouping sera for blood transfusion 65,762 26,296 tubes
Sterile sulphonamides 18,504 16,496 bottles
Tuberculin for Mantoux test 11,165 7,309 c.c.s.
Intravenous solutions 50,696 46,729 litres
Measles serum, Adult 17,320 24,560 c.c.s.
„ „ Convalescent 1,770 2,450 „
Kahn and Wassermann antigen 62,765 81,305 „
Hospital
laboratories
The total number of specimens examined in the hospital laboratories, as distinct
from the group laboratories, during the year was 355,944 (296,345 in 1945), and
1,334 post-mortem examinations (1,696 in 1945) were carried out in addition to
those by the pathologists.
General
During the year, 21 students of the London School of Medicine for Women
attended the group laboratory at Archway Hospital for a two months' course of
practical pathology, and facilities were given for them to attend post-mortem
examinations and to make use of the museum of specimens at the Central Histological
Laboratory.
The group laboratory at the North-Western Hospital co-operated with the British
Pædiatric Association in a survey of cross-infection in children's hospitals. The work