London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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London County Council 1963

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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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 1962):

DesignationSamples examinedT.B. bacillus isolatedT.B. bacillus NOT isolatedPassed phosphatase test
Tuberculin tested (Farm bottled)33 (35)- (-)31† (35)N/A
Tuberculin tested*4 (4)- (-)4 (4)N/A
Pasteurised17 (20)N/AN/A17 (20)
Total54 (59)- (-)35† (39)17 (20)

*Samples from a residential school which has its own farm.
† In addition the test was not completed on two samples.
Milk purchased for use in Council establishments:
1959 1960 1961 1962 1963
Liquid milk: samples taken by boroughs and
county councils .. .. 910 589 306 310 434
number found to be unsatisfactory 11 - - - 5
Dried milk: samples submitted to bacteriological
examination 4 3 24* 42* 29*
No samples contained more than 100,000 organisms per gramme, nor was staphylococcus aureus
isolated.
* Increased sampling was due to co-operation in the formulation of a British Standard for dried milk.
Sanitary inspection

The inspectors dealt with the following matters in Council establishments:

19591960196119621963
Reports of infestation by a variety of pests207274221269250
Visits and re-inspections involved472506409526404
Inspections of school meals centres362341208242156
Investigations of illness following consumption of school meals781173
Occasions when the meal was found to be the cause22

Blind and partially-sighted persons
During the year 1,637 examinations were made in connection with certification under the
National Assistance Act, 1948 of blind or partially-sighted persons and 32 persons were
found to be neither blind nor partially-sighted. In addition, 503 certificates were accepted
from other local authorities, hospitals and private ophthalmologists—69 more than in
the previous year. The percentage of new registrations recommended to obtain treatment
was 58.3 per cent. compared with 56.6 per cent. in 1962.
The results of examinations of persons newly registered during the year are given in
tables (i) and (ii).
33
c*