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 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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In addition, two areas containing 91 unfit houses were the subject of Declaration
of Unfitness Orders made by the Council under the Town and Country Planning
Act, 1947 and an area of 264 unfit houses was surveyed for the purpose of giving
corroborative evidence in support of a metropolitan borough council.
The Minister of Housing and Local Government arranged 37 public local inquiries
into and four informal hearings in connection with Orders made by the Council and,
by the end of the year, 28 of the Orders had been confirmed. No objections were made
in respect of nine Orders which the Minister confirmed without holding public local
inquiries.
Improvement
grants
Surveys were made in respect of 92 applications to the Council for improvement
grants under section 20 of the Housing Act, 1949, as amended by the Housing Repairs
and Rents Act, 1954. In addition 193 investigations were made in connection with
applications for such grants made to metropolitan borough councils.
Dangerous
structures
Searches were made in connection with 1,439 inquiries concerning premises
scheduled as dangerous structures.
Public health laboratory
Full use was made of the facilities available at the Medical Research Council's Public
Health Laboratory at the County Hall and the close liaison which is possible with the
staff of the laboratory has proved of great value.
Milk arriving
in London
During the year 190 samples were taken of liquid milk arriving in London in churns and the results of the biological examinations were as follows :
| Designation | Samples examined | Results of examination | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T.B. bacillus isolated | T.B. bacillus NOT isolated | Test not completed* | Percentage positive of completed tests | ||
| Ordinary | 169 | 5 | 158 | 6 | 2.96 |
| Tuberculin tested | 17 | 2 | 15 | — | 11.76 |
| do. (Farm bottled) | 4 | — | 2 | 2 | — |
| Total | 190 | 7 | 175 | 8 | 3.68 |
*Guinea pigs died before completion of test or milk curdled.
As a result of the investigations into the origin of the seven positive samples, information
was received that four cows from four herds producing ordinary milk had been
slaughtered and in one herd no tuberculous animals were found. With regard to the
two samples from tuberculin tested herds, no tuberculous animals were detected.
All the raw milk from which the positive samples were obtained was pasteurised
before sale to the public.
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. Reports were
received on 1,420 samples taken for examination, all of which were found to be
satisfactory.
Dried milk
Five samples of dried milk powder were taken from supplies purchased by the
Council and were submitted to bacteriological examination. No sample contained more
than 100,000 organisms per gram, nor was staphylococcus aureus isolated.
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