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 1962
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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GENERAL PUBLIC HEALTH
Housing
The Council has set aside a small number of dwellings for the rehousing of families on purely medical grounds. The following table shows the cases dealt with in the past five years.
| 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recommendations received | 321 | 275 | 232 | 224 | 180 |
| Nominated for rehousing | 151 | 185 | 209 | 139 | 110 |
| Recommendations not qualifying for | |||||
| rehousing | 132 | 114 | 93 | 20 | 70 |
| Under consideration at end of year | 139 | 115 | 45 | 110 | 110 |
| Recommendations received | 2,474 | 2,689 | 3,357 | 2,570 | 2,263 |
| Nominated for rehousing | 478 | 418 | 607 | 164 | 363 |
| Recommendations not qualifying for | |||||
| rehousing | 1,617 | 1,951 | 2,503 | 1,791 | 2,082 |
| Under consideration at end of year | 733 | 1,053 | 1,300 | 1,915 | 1,733 |
Work in connection with unfit houses during the past five years is summarised below:
| 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Areas represented as unfit for human habitation. | 77 | 27 | 48 | 34 | 87 |
| Houses in such areas | 1,830 | 660 | 1,356 | 932 | 2,808 |
| Areas surveyed but not represented by the end of | |||||
| the year | 11 | 13 | 39 | 90 | 74 |
| Houses in such areas | 312 | 641 | 1,291 | 2,869 | 2,183 |
| Public local inquiries | 36 | 37 | 42 | 12 | 10 |
| Informal hearings | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — |
| Orders confirmed | |||||
| (i) after inquiry or hearing | 33 | 42 | 41 | 27 | 9 |
| (ii) without inquiry or hearing (no objection | |||||
| received) | 14 | 28 | 15 | 2 | 2 |
| Orders not confirmed by Minister | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — |
| Confirmed order quashed on appeal to High | |||||
| Court | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Surveys following applications to the Council | 119 | 160 | 1,178 | 309 | 342 |
| Searches following applications to metropolitan | |||||
| borough councils | 103 | 346 | 572 | 595 | 576 |
| Premises scheduled as dangerous—searches made | 1,229 | 1,013 | * | * | * |
*The functions with regard to dangerous structures were, by the London County Council (General Powers)
Act, 1958, transferred to the metropolitan borough councils as from I January, 1960.
Public Health Laboratory
The facilities at the Medical Research Council's Public Health Laboratory at the County
Hall and the close co-operation with its staff have continued to be of great value.
Milk sampling
The following table shows the results of tests during the year on samples taken of milk
arriving in London (the figures in brackets are those for 1961):
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