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
Willesden 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Willesden]
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11
GENERAL PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES
Public Health Laboratory Service
The Public Health Laboratory Service carry out bacteriological examinations at the Central Public
Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, N.W.9, and at the branch laboratory in Neasden Hospital, Brentfield
Road, N.W.10.
Private practitioners send specimens, such as swabs from sore throats, faeces from intestinal infections
and cough plates and post.nasal swabs from whooping cough cases to the branch laboratory in Neasden
Hospilal, the Health Department, 54, Winchester Avenue, N.W.6, or the Willesden Health Centre, 381, High
Road, Willesden, N.W.10. They are collected and taken to the Central Public Health Laboratory. The
practitioner receives a report on the telephone the next morning, followed by a written report.
The Sanitary Inspectors send samples of milk taken from dealers in the district.
The following results were obtained during 1952:—
Organisms Found
| 616 Throat/Nose Swabs : | |
|---|---|
| Diphtheria bacilli | 1 |
| Haemolytic streptococci | 186* |
| Vincent's angina | 15* |
| Negative | 420 |
| *Both htemolytic streptococci and Vincent's angina were found in 6 swabs. | |
| 2102 Faeces Specimens : | |
| Shigella | 474 |
| Salmonella | 43 |
| Protozoa | — |
| Negative | 1585 |
| 1775 Sputum Specimens : | |
| T.B | 279 |
| Other organisms | 6 |
| Negative | 1490 |
| 29 Post.Nasal Swabs : | |
| B. Pertussis | 1 |
| Negative | 28 |
294 Milk Examinations
| Schools (pasteurised) | Dealers' premises | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pasteurised | T.T. pasteurised | Sterilised | |||
| Samples | 99 | 90 | 45 | 58 | 292 |
| Satisfactory | 98 | 89 | 45 | 58 | 290 |
| Unsatisfactory | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 |
| Second sample, | |||||
| satisfactory | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 |
61 Ice Cream Tests :
Grade 1 38
Grade 2 14
Grade 3 4
Grade 4 5
405 Water Examinations:
Domestic supplies, etc 3
Swimming pools 88
Satisfactory 91
Miscellaneous : 223
Total number of examinations : 5191.