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Diseased or Infirm Persons—Compulsory Removal.
Section 47 of the National Assistance Act, 1948, as amended by the National Assistance (Amendment)
Act, 1951, empowers the Council to apply to the Courts for Orders for the removal to a hospital or
institution, for the purposes of securing the necessary care and attention, of persons who—
(a) are suffering from grave chronic disease or, being aged, infirm or physically incapacitated,
are living in insanitary conditions, and,
(b) are unable to devote to themselves, and are not receiving from other persons, proper care
and attention.
It is seldom necessary to follow this procedure, except in distressing cases which sometimes occur
of old persons who, although no longer able to look after themselves and living in conditions which
make it impossible for them to be nursed at home, refuse to enter a home or hospital voluntarily.
During 1959 there was one such case, particulars of which are given in Table 5, page 32.
Public Swimming Baths.
The Seymour Hall, opened in April, 1937, covers an area of 37,000 square feet. The building is
electrically heated and contains two indoor swimming pools, private baths, squash rackets court,
changing and club rooms. Swimming and private bath facilities are available daily throughout the
year. The large pool, which is converted from October to April inclusive for use as a public hall,
has a water area of 132 feet by 42 feet with depths from 3 feet to 12 feet, and the smaller pool a water
area of 100 feet by 30 feet with depths from 2 feet 9 inches to 6 feet 6 inches. The pools are provided
with independent purification plants which are cross-connected to purify water in either pool if
necessary. These plants have a capacity of 65,000 and 23,800 gallons per hour respectively. This
enables the contents of the pools, 228,000 and 83,600 gallons, to be circulated and purified within
31 hours. Continuous filtration is applied so that all the pool water does not have to be changed.
Water from the pool is used to wash the filter beds and "make up" water is taken from the mains of
the Metropolitan Water Board. Chemical treatment is by alumina and soda, and the water is sterilized
by chlorine gas with modern "breakpoint chlorination" equipment. Residual recorders provide
a continuous visual and graph record of chlorine residual, and periodic re-agent tests are also
taken. Samples from both pools are regularly sent to the Council's Bacteriologist and the results
have been satisfactory.
Staff Medical Examinations.
The Medical Officer of Health is medical adviser to the Council for staff purposes. During 1959,
one hundred and sixty-two examinations of the Council's employees and new entrants to the
superannuation scheme were carried out.
New Legislation.
A list of the new Acts, Regulations and Orders, relating to the work of the Department, is given
in Table 6, page 32.
SECTION C.—SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES
Sanitary Inspection.
The Borough is divided into five areas each of which is dealt with by a district public health
inspector. Inspection of dwelling-houses is dealt with in Table 7, page 33.
Excluding rat and mouse infestations, 1,181 complaints were received and details of the 888
various nuisances detected and remedied are shown in Table 8, page 33.
Notices.—Intimation notices numbered 263, and 74 of these were followed by the service of a
statutory notice to secure abatement of nuisances. In addition, ten notices were served under
Byelaws made under the Metropolis Management or Public Health Acts.
Legal Proceedings.
Details of legal proceedings under the provisions of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, are
given in Table 10, page 34.
Noise.
Fifty-seven complaints of noise were received and these involved forty-three alleged nuisances.
Extensive engineering works and operations on demolition and building sites, involving the use of