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especially voluntary, help in different ways. The homes of the aged
need special consideration from the point of view of the location of the
accommodation, its design and furnishing and equipping. As a housing
authority, the Council has built a number of houses specially designed
for the aged. The Harrow Housing Society, Limited (the Secretary,
Miss D. Walding, 2, Manor Road, Harrow, Tel. No. Harrow 1418),
provides accommodation for a number of elderly persons at Pinner
House, Church Lane, Pinner. A number of aged are helped to obtain
meals. There is a luncheon club at the Assembly Hall, North Harrow,
where some 80 old people are served with meals at a charge of 1s. a meal.
The Council under Section 31 of the National Assistance Act decided
to contribute £500 per annum towards the cost of operating the Belmont
central kitchen and restaurant, and £150 in respect of the initial cost of
kitchen utensils, etc., and another at Belmont Assembly Hall, Kenton
Lane. Applications to join these clubs should be made to the Secretary,
Harrow Old People's Welfare Committee, Harrow Weald Lodge. In
addition, the Women's Voluntary Service maintains a "Meals on
Wheels" service, taking meals to some old people confined to their
homes. Enquiries should be made to the Harrow Administrator W.V.S.,
Bradstowe House, Headstone Road. There are a number of old people's
clubs in this area, including six "Evergree " Clubs run by the British
Red Cross Society (Organiser, Mrs. G. Sichel, 9, Peterborough Road,
Harrow) and four " Darby and Joan " Clubs run by the Women's Voluntary
Service (enquiries to the Harrow Administrator, W.V.S., Mrs. M. E.
Kingett, Bradstowe House, Headstone Road).
The Harrow Old People's Welfare Committee, on which are representatives
of the many agencies in the district helping the aged in any
way, helps to link up the work of these organisations. The Committee
appointed a co-ordinating officer, who is at the Council Offices, Peel
Road, Wealdstone (Tel. No. Harrow 2974) on Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to
12 noon, Thursdays 2 to 5 p.m. A home visiting service has been set
up under which arrangements are made to recruit visitors who will keep
in touch more especially with lonely old people.
LABORATORY SERVICE
The examination of clinical material of public health significance
is carried out free of cost to the patient and to the doctor at the Central
Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, London, N.W.9 (Tel.
No. Colindale 6041 and 4081). Most samples submitted are throat
swabs for the presence of organisms of diphtheria or of the haemolytic
streptococcus.
Another group of samples is of dejecta for the presence of organisms
of the typhoid or dysentery group. Specimens of sputa are submitted
for examination for the presence of tubercle bacillus. Blood serum is
sent for examination of the reaction indicating the infection of the body
by the typhoid group. Cough plates are examined for the presence
of the organisms of whooping cough. In general the examination is
carried out of material which will be of aid in the early diagnosis of
infectious conditions, one purpose of the laboratory being to carry out
investigations of public health significance.