London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Walthamstow 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
This page requires JavaScript
17
was convened by the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee
of the Group. The notice convening the meeting included the
following:— "It has been widely felt that those working in the
Hospitals and the Public Health Services and the General Practitioners
should meet from time to time to discuss their common
problems and see in what way they can help each other."
3. Laboratory Facilities.
Dr. Frank Marsh, Pathologist in charge of the Laboratory at Epping, has kindly supplied the following information in regard to work done for Walthamstow:—
| Specimens | Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | Apr. May | June | July | Aug. | Sep | t. Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhesus, Group and Kahn | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | - | 1 | 2 | - | 4 | 7 | 40 |
| Haemoglobins | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Nose and throat swabs | 9 | 8 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 146 |
| Totals | 14 | 14 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 20 | 21 | 187 |
Arrangements continued with the Public Health Laboratory
Service at Colindale and transport is provided when necessary
from Mondays to Fridays, but not at weekends when any urgent
examinations are carried out at the Connaught Hospital Laboratory
through the courtesy of Dr. H. Caplin, Consultant Pathologist.
The number of specimens examined at the Colindale laboratories during the year were as follows:-
| Specimens | Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | Apr May | June | July | Aug | . Sept. Oct. | Nov. Dec. | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faeces and rectal swabs | 31 | 13 | 43 | 68 | 83 | 37 | 43 | 36 | 12 | 21 | 28 | 16 | 431 |
| Nose and throat swabs | 12 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 77 | 59 | 11 | 74 | 283 |
| Urine | - | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 4 |
| Food | — | 8 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 33 |
| Miscellaneous | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | — | — | 3 | 1 | 5 | 17 | |
| Totals | 43 | 27 | 54 | 86 | 107 | 48 | 49 | 43 | 90 | 85 | 41 | 95 | 768 |
4. Ambulance Facilities.
These are available from a local depot in Walthamstow which
is administered centrally from Chelmsford, via the Control Centre
at Ilford.
5. Treatment of Scabies and Verminous Conditions.
The arrangement, detailed in the report for 1953, with the
Hackney Borough Council continued, and three cases were referred
there during 1956 receiving seven treatments at a total cost of
£1 12s. 6d.