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GENERAL PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES.
This section of the report deals in detail with certain minor
aspects of the health services, and introduces the arrangements
which are in force at the present time regarding the major services.
A full account of these major services will be found in later sections
of this report.
Laboratory facilities. It has not so far been found
practicable to centralize the bacteriological work of the borough,
though it is possible that such a scheme, which would undoubtedly
have many advantages, will materialize at a later date.
At the Isolation Hospital, Plaistow, routine bacteriological
work in connection with patients in the wards is carried out, and
facilities are also available for practitioners to have the simpler
bacteriological examinations—such as the examination of throat
swabs, or the carrying out of agglutination reactions using the
commoner organisms—performed here. Details of the results of
such examinations are given in the report on the hospital. The
examination of sputum for the tubercle bacillus is carried out at
the tuberculosis dispensary. More complicated bacteriological
methods, such as the examination of milk, are usually carried out
by the bacteriologist to Queen Mary's Hospital, Stratford, and the
Medical Officer of Health may at times direct that samples, the
examination of which involves special technique, should be sent to
other laboratories. It is regrettable that the other large hospitals
which are controlled by the Council are not yet able to carry out
their own bacteriological work, or to have this work done for them
at a municipal laboratory. Many of the specimens from these
hospitals are sent to the laboratory of the Clinical Research Association.
Panel practitioners may, by arrangement between the
West Ham Insurance Committee and Queen Mary's Hospital,
have reports on any pathological material submitted by them for
examination. Particulars of the examinations carried out at
certain hospitals owned by the local authority will be found in the
appropriate sections.
The Council employs a part-time analyst to carry out the
chemical examination of water, milk and other foodstuffs. This
officer is also the official analyst under the Fertilisers and Feeding
Stuffs Act, 1926. The analyst's report will be found in the section
which deals with the supervision of food.
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