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laboratory facilities.
The arrangements with the E.M.S. Laboratories at Watford were
continued whereby bacteriological investigations of public health interest
could bo undertaken for this Department or for Practitioners practising in
the Borough.
The Laboratory's Staff have been most helpful in a number of difficult
cases, particularly those admitted to the Isolation Hospital, and I should like
to take this opportunity of recording my appreciation of their continued willing
co-operation. With the expanding knowledge of bacteriology these investigations
become more and more important both to preventive end curative medicine and the
post-war development should envisage laboratories capable of carrying out all
investigations, situated so as to be sufficiently accessible to large centres of
population with subsidiary laboratories of more limited activity, so that the
Doctors making use of them may have opportunities of frequent consultation with
the personnel of the Laboratories,
ADOPTION OF CHILDREN REGULATIONS) ACT, 1939.
This Act came into force on 1st June, 1943 and deals with the
registration of Adoption Societies, the registration Authority being the Council
of a County or County Borough. As far as this Authority is concerned, Section 7
of the Act places on Welfare Authorities a responsibility for the supervision of
the child during the probationary period and until a Court Order is made for legal
adoption. The powers of the Authority under the Act arc identical with those
already in force for the well-being of foster children,
ambulance services,
The ambulances which had been accommodated at the Fire Stations and
operated by the Fire Brigade, were transferred to this Authority, and arrangements
were made for them to be manned by Civil Defence personnel, provision being
made for the Ambulances to be accommodated at two of the Civil Defence Ambulance
Stations, one in the North end one in the South.
There was a steady increase in the demand for this service and to meet
this demand two additional ambulances were acquired, making a total of It
was found necessary to supplement this provision by using Civil Defence Ambulances,
a total of 3285 cases being removed during the year.