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 1951
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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30
Welfare
establishments
Regular inspections, at least once a quarter, were made of 67 homes, hostels,
rest centres and other premises in connection with sanitary conditions.
Complaints
A large number of complaints of insanitary and overcrowded home conditions
were received from the public. These were referred to the health departments of the
appropriate boroughs.
Appeals
Under Part II of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1951,
appeals by persons aggrieved by acts and decisions of sanitary authorities under the
Public Health (London) Act, 1936, formerly heard by the Appeals Committee, will
in future be heard by courts of summary jurisdiction. The Council has, however,
retained the right to determine appeals in respect of certain matters relating to
sewers.
Representation
on
committees
of outside
bodies
The Chief Inspector represents the Council on a number of committees of the
British Standards Institution, and is chairman of two committees and two subcommittees
appointed to consider standards in relation to sanitary appliances,
dustbins, traps and flushing cisterns. He is also a member of the Plumbing Research
Committee of the Building Research Board of the Department of Scientific and
Industrial Research.
Blind and partially-sighted persons
The following figures show the number of persons examined under the National
Assistance Act, 1948, for certification of blindness and the results. The figures do
not include those relating to children of school age, details of which are to be found
in the table on page 149.
Examinations by the Council's Ophthalmologists
| Classification | Certified blind | Not blind | Grand total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Total | Male | Female | Total | ||
| New cases | 265* | 636* | 801* | 109 | 214 | 323 | 1124* |
| Previously blind, still blind | 36 | 49 | 85 | — | — | — | 85 |
| Previously not blind, now certified | 22 | 24 | 46 | — | — | — | 46 |
| Previously not blind, still not blind | — | — | — | 61 | 125 | 186 | 186 |
| Previously blind, now not blind | — | — | — | 9 | 18 | 27 | 27 |
| Total | 323* | 609* | 932* | 179 | 357 | 536 | 1468* |
*These figures include 11 boys and 9 girls under 6 years of age.
The standards used are those prescribed by the Ministry of Health (Circular
1353-5.10.33). The cases "previously blind, now not blind" are mainly those in
which catarac ts have been removed surgically.
207 certificates were accepted from other authorities, hospitals and private ophthalmologists as follows:—
| Blind persons | 190 (73 male, including 2 children under 5 years, 117 female including 4 children under 5 years) |
| Not blind per Bons | 17 (6 male, 11 female) |