View report page

person who for the purposes of the Act was liable to maintain the deceased person
immediately before his death.
Any person who has died or been found dead in these circumstances in Finchley
is buried in the St. Pancras Cemetery. No burials were carried out by the Council
during the year.
BURIAL ACT, 1857
Licences for the removal of human remains under the above Act state, inter alia,
"It is considered advisable that the Medical Officer of Health should be notified
whenever such a licence is granted in order that he may be in a position to take (under
his general powers) any action that may appear to him to be necessary in the interests
of public health." Seven copies of licences for such removals were received from the
Home Office during the year.
The exhumations were carried out in the early hours of the morning and were
visited when necessary by one of the public health inspectors, to ensure compliance
with the conditions of the licences.
MORTUARY
The Council provide a mortuary under the provisions of the Public Health Act,
1936, and from time to time the Coroner, whose district includes Finchley, uses his
power in Section 24 of the Coroner's Amendment Act, 1926, to direct that bodies from
the Potters Bar and Friern Barnet Urban Districts, which are also within his district,
shall be taken to the Finchley mortuary.
One hundred and seventy-one bodies were received into the mortuary during 1961
and of these, 36 were from Friern Barnet and 20 from Potters Bar. Post Mortem
examinations were carried out in all cases.
MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS
Twenty-seven persons were examined on appointment to the Council's staff and
2 workmen were examined with a view to their admission to the Council's Sickness
Pay Scheme.
In addition, 10 employees were examined for the purpose of extending sick pay,
and, in the case of elderly employees, for proposed extension of service.
SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE AREA
Water Supply
The bulk of the water is supplied to the Borough by the Lee Valley Water
Company and the supply, during the year, has been satisfactory in quality and quantity.
Reports on 430 bacteriological and 14 chemical samples taken by the Company were
forwarded to me. In all cases the water conformed to standards of purity considered
suitable for public supply.
30