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21
SANITARY INSPECTION OF THE DISTRICT
and
THE INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF
FOOD.
When the legislation passed in the last quarter of the last century gave
the newly-created authorities powers to take action to improve the hygienic
surroundings of the community, conditions, in even the better parts of
the country, were far from ideal, while the circumstances in which many
were living could only be described by to-day's standards as truly appalling.
There were major problems to be tackled becaused the surroundings
of so many, whether in their homes or their places of work, were positively
detrimental to their health. The accent of the public health legislation
in these days was on the removal of those conditions which were injurious
to health, and that was the standard of the inspector visiting a
house or a factory. Even as recently as the time when a group of houses
was represented for slum clearance the case rested on the vital statistics
which would be that much worse for the occupants of such property.
To-day, and particularly in an area such as this, which does not carry
the heavy legacy still borne by many towns of the effect of the industrialisation
of the country, we are getting far away from these standards. Under
the Housing Act, when a house is being judged for repair or demolition,
regard must be had to the presence of sanitary defects, to whether the
house reaches the standards of the bye-laws and to the standard of the
house compared with other houses in the area occupied by members of
the working classes.
In such a district as this, then, the standard is not whether the
conditions would be actively detrimental to the health of the occupants
of the house, but whether the house is in all respects in a decent state
of repair. The legacy of the war years cannot be removed for some time
yet. Shortage of labour and of materials will necessitate attention
being concentrated on those houses suffering from grosser defects, conditions
on which the authorities can take further action if need be in
the event of non-compliance on the part of the owner. It is hoped
though that the day will not be long deferred when all these major defects
have been removed and that it will be possible once again to obtain by
the co-operation of the owners, the desirable standard of maintenance.
This altered outlook is seen in other ways. When infections were
attributed to faults in drains and drainage, to accumulations or deposits,
the Sanitary Inspectors visited the homes on the receipt of a notification.
Because of the importance attached to the infectiousness of inanimate
objects they arranged the details of the formidable ritual of fumigation
of the premises and the removal of bedding, etc., for steam disinfection.
To-day, and particularly when so many of the patients suffering from
milder attacks are retained at home instead of being admitted to hospital,
the Health Visitor calls to discuss with the mother measures such as
isolation and concurrent disinfection which are necessary to prevent
spread. In yet another phase of the Sanitary Inspector's activities is
there a marked change. The Inspectors spend a considerable proportion
of their time supervising foodstuffs at different premises. Emphasis
in such a district as this, though, is less now on the conditions of milk