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10
DISINFECTION OF BRISTLES.
The disinfection of second-hand clothing, horsehair, bristles, etc., prior to export, is regularly
carried out at your Disinfecting Station at 20, Golden Lane, on behalf of exporters in the City.
The purpose of the disinfection of bristles has always been the destruction of the spores of
the bacillus of Anthrax, which are particularly resistant. I have always been satisfied that the
special procedure we carried out in the disinfection of bristles was quit efficient in this respect,
and the City Bacteriologist has assured me that it gives an ample margin of safety. At the same
time anthrax was not specifically mentioned on the certificates given, but the details of the
method of disinfection were fully stated on the back of the certificates, so that health authorities
in the countries to which the bristles were exported could decide for themselves whether the
disinfection met their requirements.
However, I was recently informed that the Egyptian authorities required certificates of
disinfection of bristles to include the following words "the bristles are guaranteed after thorough
examination as completely free from Anthrax Spores or any other contagious animal disease of
infectious nature." It would be, in my opinion, quite useless to take samples of the bristles
before and after treatment, because there might well be no anthrax spores in the consignment,
and even if there were, the samples we took, either before or after treatment, might not include
any infected bristles. It would be pure chance if we happened to hit on the infected ones in a
large consignment. The only rational way is to adopt a method which has been proved to destroy
spores known to be even more resistant to heat than anthrax spores are.
In order to meet the Egyptian requirement I therefore arranged with the City Bacteriologist
to make up packages, some containing anthrax spores and some containing more resistant spores,
and to insert these packages in various parts of the consignment of bristles before disinfection.
This was done, and after disinfection the packages were returned to the bacteriologist for examination.
It was found that not only the anthrax spores but also the more resistant spores were
destroyed. I therefore informed the firm who submitted bristles for disinfection for export to
Egypt that I was prepared to issue a certificate in the special form required by the Egyptian
Authorities.
HYGIENE IN HAIRDRESSERS AND BARBERS SHOPS.
In 1952 the Southwark Borough Council made representations to the Metropolitan Boroughs
Standing Joint Committee that the necessary powers should be sought, by way of a clause in
a London County Council (General Powers) Bill, to enable Metropolitan Boroughs to register
and control barbers shops and to make bye-laws regulating the hygiene of such premises and of
the operations therein.
It is interesting to note that in 1904 the Corporation of the City instituted a scheme of
voluntary registration of hairdressers shops and in consultation with the Incorporated Guild of
Hairdressers, Wigmakers and Perfumers, laid down a code of practice which was to be followed
as a condition of registration and the issue of a certificate which could be displayed in the shop.
The number of registrations reached 32 in 1908 but after the first world war rapidly declined and
there have been no registrations since 1932.
To continue the story of the Southwark Borough Council's proposal, the Metropolitan
Boroughs Standing Joint Committee took the opinion of the City and the Metropolitan Boroughs
and decided to ask the London County Council to include a clause in a General Powers Bill that
was then in preparation. The London County Council agreed and the clause is now Section 18
of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1954.
The section provides that, as from the appointed day, no person shall carry on the business
of a hairdresser or barber on any premises in a borough unless he and those premises are registered
by the borough council.
The borough council may make bve-laws for the purpose of securing—
(a) the cleanliness of premises registered under this section and of the instruments, towels,
materials and equipment used therein; and
(b) the cleanliness of persons employed in such premises in regard to both themselves and
their clothing.
Sub-section 12 of Section 18 states that this Section shall apply to the City.
Draft model bye-laws have now been agreed after discussions in which the Ministry of
Housing and Local Government, the Metropolitan Boroughs Standing Joint Committee, the
National Hairdressers Federation and the Incorporated Guild of Hairdressers, Wigmakers and
Perfumers took part.
The draft model bye-laws are as follows: —
Bye-laws as to hairdressers and barbers made by the
Metropolitan Borough Council under Section 18(4) of the London County Council (General
Powers) Act, 1954.
1.—(1) In these bye-laws, unless the context otherwise requires—"hairdresser or barber"
means any person carrying on the business of a hairdresser or barber on premises registered under
Section 18 (1) of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1954;
"day" means a day on which business is carried on.
(2) The Interpretation Act, 1889, applies to the interpretation of these bye-laws as it
applies to the Interpretation of an Act of Parliament.