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
Hounslow 1969
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hounslow]
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I am advised by the general baths manager that attendances at the various baths under his management were:-
| Swimming Baths | Annual attendance | Maximum on any 1 day |
|---|---|---|
| Brentford | 109393 | 426 |
| Chiswick open | 73862 | 3247 |
| air | ||
| Feltham | 235257 | 1793 |
| Heston | 175921 | 1089 |
| Hounslow | 199258 | 525 |
| Isleworth | 176951 | 921 |
| Slipper Baths | ||
| Chiswick | ||
| private baths | 20261 | |
| Brentford | 7272 | |
| Hounslow | 14476 | |
| Isleworth | 11146 |
The general baths manager carries out
tests to determine the condition of the water
but in addition the public health inspectors
took twelve bacteriological samples. Two
samples were unsatisfactory and referred to
the baths department.
In addition two samples were taken from
the foot baths. Although there are no standards
laid down the bacteriologist commented that
in his view they proved unsatisfactory
Sewerage and sewage disposal
The sewerage from this borough is treated at
the Mogden purification works and finally
discharged to the River Thames I am satisfied
that the arrangements for sewerage and sewage
disposal are adequate.
There are a small number of premises
served by pail closets or cesspools. These
have given no cause for concern during the
year.
Common lodging houses
There are no common lodging houses situated
within this borough
Services under food and drugs legislation
This is the council's control for the standard
of fitness of food which is sold throughout
the borough and the manner in which it is
handled or stored prior to sale.
Milk
The number of distributors of milk within the
borough which are registered in accordance
with the Milk and Dairies (General) Regulations
1959 is 164.
Premises licenced under the requirements
of the Milk (Special designations) Regulations
1963 as amended are:-
Dealer's (pasteuriser's) licence 1
Dealer's (pre-packed) licences in force
Pasteurised milk licences in
force 147
Sterilised milk licences in
force 68
Ultra-heat treated milk
licences in force 41
Untreated milk licences in
force 23
During the year, 251 samples of designated
milk were submitted to the King Edward Memorial
Hospital pathological laboratory for statutory
tests The results were:-
The results were:-
| Designation | No of samples | Satisfactory | Unsatisfactory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pasteurised | 217 | 165 | 52 |
| Sterilised | 20 | 18 | 2 |
| Untreated | nil | nil | nil |
| Ultra heat treated | 14 | 10 | 4 |
During the year an investigation was carried
out into the bacterial quality of milk supplied
from vending machines. During the hot weather
a large proportion of samples were found to fail
the methylene blue test. Subsequent investigations
revealed that there were several contributing
factors causing these failures, including an
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