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
City of London 1929
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London, City of ]
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73
SUPERVISION OF THE ICE CREAM TRADE.
Inspections in connection with the manufacture or sale of Ice Cream within the City
have been carried out.
The barrows or stalls of itinerant vendors were visited from time to time during
the summer season, and in any instance where lack of cleanliness or other defect was observed,
the issue of a caution resulted in appropriate steps being taken to remedy the defect.
Nine premises were registered during the year in accordance with the requirements of
the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1928.
CITY MORTUARY.
| Bodies received at the Mortuary to await burial | 176 |
| Post-Mortem examinations made | 90 |
| Inquests held on bodies | 165 |
| Inquests held on fires | 2 |
The following tabulation shows the work carried out at the Mortuary and Coroner's Court during the past five years :—
| Year. | Articles disinfected. | Bodies received at the Mortuary. | Inquests held on bodies. | Inquests held on Fires. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 481,391 | 160 | 145 | 0 | |
| 1925 | 493,813 | 150 | 145 | 0 | |
| 1926 | 305,970 | 155 | 139 | 4 | |
| 1927 | 227,037 | 178 | 169 | 1 | |
| 1928 | 180,530 | 159 | 147 | 2 | |
| Average for previous 5 years | 337,748 | 160 | 149 | 1 | |
| 1929 | 515,375 | 176 | 165 | 2 | |
Disinfection—Trade.—In accordance with the requirements of the South African
Government, the disinfection of second-hand clothing, prior to export to that country, has
been carried on as usual.
The following table gives the details of the work of disinfection carried out at the Disinfecting Station during the year in connection with the export trade :—
| Number of Certificates issued. | Number of articles disinfected. | Fees received by the Corporation. |
|---|---|---|
| 1,268 | 508,780 | £1,306 |
Disinfection—Infectious Disease :—
Articles disinfected after cases of infectious disease 5,151
Library Books disinfected 87
Public Vehicles—Electric Ambulance 4
Police Litter 4
Premises disinfected (including offices) 858
Lockers disinfected at request of General Post Office Authorities 146
There were also seven bags of letters which had been contaminated by Pathological
specimens submitted to the process of disinfection at request of G.P.O.
Cleansing of Persons Act, 1897 :—
Number of verminous persons bathed 91
Cleansing of School Children :—
Total number of children cleansed 981
77 Articles were destroyed at request of owners.
In addition to the foregoing, some assistance was rendered to the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury
during a period when the disinfection apparatus operated by that authority was out of use.
Preservation of Bodies of Unknown Dead.—The De Rechter apparatus for the preservation
of the dead, installed at the City Mortuary, in March, 1909, was fully described in the
Annual Report of that year. It has proved of considerable assistance in connection with
the identification of persons found drowned in the River Thames. It was, however, for the
first time since the apparatus was installed, not necessary to take advantage of its utility.