View report page

15
In addition to these examinations at the Lister Institute, 499 specimens of sputum were
examined at the Tuberculosis Dispensary.
Facilities for the examination of cerebro-spinal fluid in suspected cases of cerebro-spinal fever,
etc., are available to the Council's Public Health Department through the London County
Council's Laboratory and for the examination of suspected foodstuffs and of blood in suspected
malaria cases through the Ministry of Health.
PUBLIC BATHS AND WASH-HOUSES.
There are at the Public Baths, a Men's First Class Swimming Bath with a capacity of 120,000
gallons, a Women's First Class Swimming Bath with a capacity of 45,000 gallons, and a Second
Class Men's Bath and Second Class Women's Bath each of which holds 45,000 gallons.
The charge for admission to the First Class Baths is 8d.; 3d. is charged fcr admission to
the Second Class Baths, children being admitted at half price.
There are 13 Men's and 7 Women's First Class Slipper Baths and 34 Men's and 20 Women's
Second Class Slipper Baths. The charge for a First Class Warm Slipper Bath is 8d., and for a
Second Class, 3d., whilst the charges for a First Class Cold Slipper Bath and for a Second Class
Cold Slipper Bath are 4d. and ljd. respectively. There are 6 special Warm Baths for the use of
which a charge of 1/- is made.
The number of bathers using the Swimming Baths and Slipper Baths in the last five years
is shown in the following table :—
Year. Bathers.
1923 251,069
1924 257,056
1925 265,632
1926 241,349
1927 249,838
In the Wash-house or Laundry Department, there were 90 wash-tubs in use in 1927. In order
to prevent the wash-tubs being used by professional laundry-women, to the exclusion of women
doing their own family washing, the prices to be paid by a user of a wash-tub are as follow :—
2d. for each of the first four hours on any one day.
4d. for the fifth hour on any one day, and
6d. for the sixth and every succeeding hour on any one day
The number of women using the wash-tubs in the last five years is shown in the following
table:—
Year. Washers.
1923 110,252
1924 109,502
1925 105,581
1926 106,568
1927 103,657
There are 8 washing machines and the charge for the use of one of these machines is 6d. for a
period not exceeding half-an-hour, or 9d. per wash not exceeding a period of one hour with a fee
of 6d. for every additional half-hour or less period. The number of women using these machines
in 1927 was 17,421.
MORTUARY AND CHAPEL OF REST.
During the year 100 bodies were deposited in the Public Mortuary under the following
circumstances:—
At the request of relatives or friends of the deceased 21
At the request of undertakers 4
At the request of Coroner 65
By the police 10
100
In 73 cases, post-mortem examinations were made under the Coroner's warrant.
Fifty-two bodies were deposited in the Chapel of Rest, Avondale Park. This building is of
considerable convenience to those poor persons in Notting Dale who live in perhaps one or two
rooms and have no satisfactory accommodation for the bodies of dead relatives pending the day of
the funeral.