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At Council
establishments
The sampling of milk purchased for use in the Council's establishments is arranged
in conjunction with borough and county medical officers of health. Details will be
found on page 55.
Dried milk
Twenty-two samples of dried milk powder were taken from supplies purchased
by the Council and were submitted to bacteriological examination. One sample only
contained more than 100,000 organisms per gram and in two samples staphylococcus
aureus was isolated.
Disinfestation
Sanitary inspection
Reports of 133 instances of infestation involving 300 visits and re-inspections were
received from establishments controlled by the Council, e.g., school meals centres,
schools, welfare establishments and parks. Infestations by a variety of pests including
rats, mice, pigeons, cockroaches, bugs, ants, silver fish, flour and clothes moths, furniture
beetles, clover mites, plaster beetles, wasps, hornets, crickets and flies were investigated
and the control measures carried out proved effective.
School meals
More than 600 visits of inspection were made to school meals centres and 34 reports
of illness following consumption of school meals were investigated.
Regular inspections relating to hygienic conditions were made at least once a quarter
of 75 homes, hostels and other welfare establishments.
Welfare
establishments
Complaints
A large number of complaints of insanitary conditions were received from residents
in London and referred to the health department of the appropriate metropolitan
borough council.
Exhumation
of human
remains
Two disused burial grounds were cleared of human remains during the year. The
first was a burial ground in Finsbury in respect of which the Council obtained the
necessary powers in the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1953. The
operation took over 5 months to complete and during that time the remains of over
9,600 persons were exhumed, placed in 491 new coffins and re-interred at Brookwood
Cemetery, Woking. The second burial ground was situated in Hammersmith and powers
were obtained in the London and Middlesex (Improvements, etc.,) Act, 1936. Over
a period of seven weeks the remains of 98 persons were placed in 43 new coffins and
re-interred at Hammersmith Old Cemetery. In both schemes the work was done in
accordance with conditions imposed by the Secretary of State and Regulations made
by the medical officer of health ; the examinations and re-interments were carried
out under the supervision of the Inspectorate of the department.
Advisory and
research work
Advice was given to other departments of the Council on problems relating to
sanitation, drainage, food hygiene and other public health matters in connection with
the preparation of plans for new buildings and the adaptation of existing premises.
The plumbing experiments referred to in the Report for 1952 were continued in
association with the Architect's department and the Plumbing Research Committee of
the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. The installation of' single stack '
systems of plumbing was extended during the year and it is satisfactory to record that
complete installations are functioning without complaint.
The Chief Inspector continued to represent the Council on a number of Committees
of the British Standards Institution appointed to consider standards in relation to sanitary
appliances, traps, pitch-fibre drain pipes, refuse chutes and metal sinks and lavatory
basins.
Blind and partially-sighted persons
During the year, 1,899 examinations were made in connection with certification under
the National Assistance Act, 1948, of blind and partially-sighted persons. In addition,
276 certificates were accepted from other local authorities, hospitals and private
ophthalmologists.
The results of examinations of persons newly registered during the year, and of
the re-examination of those previously recommended to obtain treatment are given
in tables (i) and (ii) below. On examination 76 persons were found to be neither blind
nor partially-sighted. Re-examinations to confirm certificates given in previous years
and certificates relating to persons already registered by other authorities who have
moved into London are omitted from the tables.
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