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
Southall 1940
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southall]
This page requires JavaScript
The following table shows the number and nature of complaints received during the year:—
Table No. 32.
| Nuisances caused by the keeping of animals | 10 |
| Accumulation of refuse, etc | 26 |
| Other complaints in relation to house refuse | 4 |
| Offensive smells | 18 |
| Vermin | 52 |
| Choked drains | 128 |
| Dampness | 29 |
| Defective roofs, gutters, etc. | 22 |
| Defective sanitary fittings | 38 |
| Rats, mice, etc. | 21 |
| Miscellaneous | 101 |
| Other defective conditions of houses | 98 |
| Overcrowding | 7 |
| Air raid shelters | 8 |
| War-damaged houses | 14 |
| 576 | |
| Eradication of Bed Bugs. | |
| Statistics for the year:— | |
| (a) Number of Council houses | |
| (1) found to be infested | 31 |
| (2) disinfested during the year | 31 |
| (6) Number of other houses | |
| (1) found to be infested | 24 |
| (2) disinfested during the year | 24 |
Canal Boats.
During the year 12 visits were paid to the canal and 7 boats were inspected.
The general condition of the boats and their occupants was satisfactory.
There were no complaint notices issued by other authorities.
Swimming Bath.
The swimming bath is normally open between the 30th April and the 30th
September. The water is kept clean by a system of continuous filtration, sedimentation
and chlorination and subsequent aeration. The amount of chlorine added varies with
the number of persons using the bath, and an attempt is made to keep the water with
a content a little over 0.2 part per million of free chlorine near the outflow. At the
inflow, of course, the free chlorine content has to be a little higher.
There are no privately owned swimming baths or pools used by the public.