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
Merton and Morden 1962
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Merton & Morden]
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TABLE I
| MONTH | LOMBARD ROAD | GRAND DRIVE CLINIC | MORDEN FARM SCHOOL | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke | Sulphur Dioxide | Smoke | Sulphur Dioxide | Smoke | Sulphur Dioxide | |||||||
| Highest | Lowest | Highest | Lowest | Highest | Lowest | Highest | Lowest | Highest | Lowest | Highest | Lowest | |
| January | 1286 | 20 | 1331 | 120 | 1409 | 16 | 1455 | 68 | 1091 | 34 | 1460 | 63 |
| February | 431 | 26 | 562 | 44 | 396 | 12 | 582 | 81 | 378 | 18 | 468 | 95 |
| March | 249 | 10 | 458 | 64 | 583 | 28 | 560 | 106 | 505 | 21 | 655 | 126 |
| April | 140 | 10 | 456 | 35 | 164 | 7 | 474 | 83 | 134 | 16 | 204 | 51 |
| May | 131 | 10 | 308 | 33 | 161 | 4 | 281 | 39 | 95 | 5 | 269 | 29 |
| June | No records, due to local pollution | 54 | 3 | 252 | 36 | 35 | 3 | 189 | 26 | |||
| July | 81 | 3 | 358 | 27 | 59 | 5 | 292 | 35 | 59 | 5 | 168 | 22 |
| August | 63 | 6 | 151 | 27 | 63 | 3 | 188 | 19 | No records available (School holidays) | |||
| September | 172 | 8 | 182 | 21 | 95 | 2 | 308 | 0 | 73 | 4 | 142 | 13 |
| October | 410 | 18 | 556 | 90 | 231 | 18 | 258 | 60 | 396 | 14 | 377 | 46 |
| November | 659 | 28 | 759 | 92 | No figures available | 615 | 36 | 695 | 110 | |||
| December | 1239 | 18 | 2247 | 54 | No figures available | 1134 | 22 | 1676 | 70 | |||
All the above concentrations are in micrograms per cubic metre.
The Deposit Gauge in the ground of Carshalton and Merton &
Morden Joint Cemetery, Garth Road in the vicinity of the Refuse Destructor
Chimney, continued to reveal an average monthly deposit of 10.3
tons/sq. mile. Until April 1962 a "Control" Gauge had been situated on
the roof of Grand Drive Clinic giving an average monthly deposit of
9.8 tons/sq. mile, but this was moved on 2nd April to the roof of the
bandstand in Morden Park, in order to obtain a more accurate assessment
of the "background" deposit in the district. Since April, the average
monthly deposits recorded at this site have been 8.5 tons/sq. mile. The
figures are given in detail below:—
37