Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Beddington and Wallington]
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SWIMMING BATH
During the year under review the swimming bath at the Carew Manor
School was maintained by the local Education Authority for the use of
school-children exclusively.
The water supply for the Swimming Bath is drawn from a well sunk
in the grounds of the institution. After filling up,the water is only topped
up, and complete emptying of the bath does not take place during the
whole of the season.
Chlorination is by means of a chlorine gas injector; the standard of
chlorination maintained is 0.7 parts per million in the shallow end, and
0.4 parts per million in the middle of the bath. Filtration is carried
out by pressure through a sand filter. Samples of the swimming bath
water are submitted for bacteriological examination throughout the
season. Those submitted in 1962 (7), were returned as bacteriologically
satisfactory.
SCHOOLS
School Closure. Infectious diseases common to childhood were not
prevalent in epidemic form in any of the schools during the year. As a
result it was not found necessary for any school to be closed by the local
sanitary authority to prevent the spread of infectious disease.
Medical Inspection. Under the 1944 Education Act the Assistant
Medical Officers of the County Council continued to carry out routine
and special medical inspections of schoolchildren in the maintained
schools. This work is under the general supervision of the Medical
Officer of Health, in his capacity of Divisional School Medical Officer for
the Mid-Eastern Divisional Executive of the Surrey County Council.
Water Supply and Sanitary Conditions. All the schools are supplied
with water from the public mains and are connected with the sewers.
During the year some progress was made in bringing the maintained
schools up to pre-war standards of decoration. No major sanitary
defects were found.
Considerable thought has been given to the maintenance of good
standards of hygiene in school canteens. The serving of meals on a
large scale in establishments such as schools, represents a danger-point
for the occurrence of food poisoning. The maintenance of high standards
of hygiene and sanitation is dependent upon the intelligent co-operation
of every individual member of a canteen staff. The Ministries of Health
and Education are constantly devising methods of educating staff to
realise the importance of a high standard of personal hygiene, in order to
avoid outbreaks of food poisoning.
In order to further the interests of hygiene, and encourage washing
after the use of the toilet, all Infants' schools in the Mid-Eastern Division
have now been provided with a constant hot water supply to the taps
supplying the wash basins in the school cloak rooms.
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