BARN 18 LIBRARY BOROUGH OF BARNES Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health For the Year 1950 BOROUGH OF BARNES the Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1950 R. HILL, M.B., D.P.H. Medical Officer of Health. 3 BOROUGH OF BARNES. STAFF OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT Medical Officer of Health:— R. Hill, M.B., D.P.H. Chief Sanitary Inspector:- W. L. Leach, D.P.A.(Lond.), Cert. S.I.B., Cert. Meat and Food Inspector. Deputy Chief Sanitary Inspector:- P. J. Shannon, Cert. S.I.B., Cert. Meat and Food Inspector. Additional Sanitary Inspectors:— F. A. Sadler, Cert. S.I.B., Cert. Meat and Food Inspector. E. J. Silvester, Cert. S.I.B. Clerical Staff :— H. W. Giles, Cert. S.I.B. Miss L. M. Fairclough. J. M. Read, Cert. S.I.B. 4 Public Health Department, Municipal Offices, Sheen Lane, S.W.I4. To The Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of Barnes. Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honour to present my Annual Report for the year 1950. During the year the health of the borough has been good, and the incidence of infectious desease remarkably low. The infant mortality rate, whilst showing a slight increase on that for the year 1949, is still lower than the general rate for England and Wales. The tuberculosis death rate is again reduced, following the general trend for the country as a whole. Housing still remains our most acute problem, and although a number of families have been accommodated on medical grounds, there are still many who require urgent rehousing, and whose health is deteriorating through living under poor conditions. I should like to express my thanks to the Council for their continued help and keen interest in matters relating to public health. Also, I must pay tribute to all the members of the staff for their good work and loyal co-operation. I have the honour to be, Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen, Your obedient servant, ROSETTA HILL, July, 1951 Medical Officer of Health. 5 BOROUGH OF BARNES. REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH FOR THE YEAR 1950 PREFACE In accordance with Ministry of Health Circular 112/50, the Annual Report for 1950 has been prepared on the same lines as previous years, and consists of two parts—a preface in which reference is made to items of special interest, and an appendix in which is tabulated the statistics relating to the health of the district. The Registrar General is now supplying local authorities with "Comparability Factors" in respect of births and deaths, and you will see that these have been used in the compilation of the various statistics. I would explain that the use of the factors supplied by the Registrar General give corrected figures to the local rates, enabling truer comparisons to be made with the remainder of the country—i.e. as though the ages and sexes of the local population were in the same proportion as those for the whole country. STAFF Mrs. P. M. Oakley, Clerk/Shorthand-typist to the Department, resigned due to domestic reasons, and was replaced by Miss L. M. Fairclough. Miss Fairclough had previously been with the department for a number of years but was transferred to the Surrey County Council when the Home Help Service came within their province under the National Health Scheme. I have pleasure in recording that during the year Mr. F. A. Sadler, District Sanitary Inspector, was successful in passing the Examination of the Royal Sanitary Institute in Sanitary Science as Applied to Buildings and Public Works, and that Messrs. H. W. Giles and J. M. Read of the clerical staff qualified as Sanitary Inspectors, passing the Examination of the Royal Sanitary Institute and Sanitary Inspectors' Joint Board. PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS DISEASES Generally The incidence was again low, and I am pleased to report that no cases of diphtheria were notified during the year. 6 Poliomyelitis Only one case of poliomyelitis occurred during 1950 compared with the ten cases of the previous year. Unfortunately, the infection was of a very severe type and the patient—a girl aged six years—died. Tuberculosis There was a slight increase in the number of new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, but the death rate was reduced, this reduction following the general trend of the country as a whole. There was only one new case of non-pulmonary tuberculosis notified during the year. MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE There were again no maternal deaths during the year. INFANT MORTALITY RATE There was a slight increase in the number of deaths of infants under one year, there being ten deaths in 1950 as compared with seven deaths in 1949. This figure is, however, still well below the average for the rest of the country. The Infant Mortality Rate for this area is thus 20 per 1,000 as compared with 29.8 for England and Wales. REMOVAL OF PERSONS IN NEED OF CARE AND ATTENTION (Section 47—National Assistance Act, 1948) Twenty-four cases of elderly people requiring more adequate care and attention than they could receive at home were reported during the year, and each case was visited by a District Sanitary Inspector. It will be appreciated that admissions to hospital are very difficult to arrange in these times, consequently the list of chronic sick cases kept by the Hospital Management Board at Kingston Hospital is very lengthy. However, I am pleased to report that following submission of the Inspectors' reports on the patients' home conditions, really urgent cases have usually been admitted within a reasonable time. Co-operation with the County Welfare Department and the Regional Hospital Board remains good. FOOD Special attention was paid during the early summer to the question of the conditions under which ice cream was being sold in the open air. A report was prepared and submitted to the Public Health Committee, as a result of which certain standards were formulated with regard to vehicles, equipment and the conduct of itinerant vendors of ice cream. 7 As soon as the model Byelaws relating to the handling, wrapping and delivering of food, and the exposure for sale and sale of food in the open air, were issued by the Ministry of Food, the Council lost no time in formally adopting them. These Byelaws were duly confirmed on 8th June, 1950. It will be appreciated that the danger of contamination is more acute during the summer months, so that, as yet, insufficient time has elapsed since the coming into operation of the Byelaws for any considered judgment to be delivered as to the effect of the new provisions. It is not anticipated that any great difficulties will arise in implementing the requirements of the Byelaws with the exception of those shops which have open fronts. The value of the Byelaws lies in the fact that bad practices are dealt with in some detail and it will no longer be necessary to have to argue these matters with the trader. HOUSING It is satisfactory to note there has been a decline in the number of complaints received with regard to the condition of dwelling houses. It is still very difficult, however, to get repairs carried out where the reason for the neglect is that the owner finds the cost of maintenance uneconomic. It is inevitable that certain amenities which have been provided by owners in the past, without question, are no longer forthcoming. When it becomes necessary to invoke the law many tenants are surprised to find that the standard of fitness to be enforced is necessarily a humble one, and that items such as electric lighting, redecoration of rooms, provision of dustbins, repairs of burst water pipes, clearance of choked drains, etc., may have to be attended to by themselves. There appears to be no prospect of an early revision of rents, so that, with the continued rising costs of labour and material, it is obvious that even greater difficulty will be encountered in meeting complaints of unsatisfactory housing conditions. Houses let in Lodgings—Byelaws Many of the complaints relating to housing conditions received bot by the Public Health and the Housing Departments deal with the unsatisfactory state of affairs resulting from the larger houses being subdivided into several dwellings. This letting-off varies in degree from the case of the odd boarder to the sub-letting of a whole floor or a suite of rooms for use by a large family. Often the facilities provided are quite inadequate; there may be no domestic sink, no proper cooking arrangements or ventilated food storage accommodation. The difficulty in accommodating such things as prams, bicycles etc., leads 8 very often to friction between various tenants in a house. The cumulative effect of all these shortcomings is to place a severe strain on the occupants of such houses, particularly on the housewives. The existing Byelaws which were intended to regulate these conditions are also quite inadequate. On the one hand action should be taken to improve the conditions under which so many hundreds of families are living in this type of house; on the other hand the enforced provision of sinks, cookers, larders, etc., may prejudice the interests of property owners who do not welcome sub-letting, and may cause greater hardship to such tenants who would be required to quit their rooms. The remedy, of course, is bound up with the question of the general improvement to housing conditions by means of the erection of new dwellings, but it must be remembered that this problem existed in the London area even during the times when the housing difficulties were not so acute as they are to-day, due, no doubt, to purely economic considerations. The Council were informed, as a result of an enquiry to the appropriate Ministry, that the question of the revision of the Byelaws relating to Houses let in Lodgings was under active review. It would be possible by means of new Byelaws to establish a revised standard of convenience for sub-tenants with a proper apportionment of responsibility. Whilst some of the larger houses in the district do lend themselves to multiple occupation, many of the houses which are occupied by two or three families are really too small for satisfactory standards to be maintained. It will be seen, therefore, that the problem is one which cannot be resolved in a matter of a few months, but it is hoped that some policy may be formulated whereby a gradual improvement can be obtained and that the tendency of extending the practice of sub-letting may be regulated. Action can best be taken before the premises become occupied by more than one family, but there is, unfortunately, a general lack of knowledge as to the necessity for application to be made under the Byelaws, and, where necessary, under the Building Byelaws and Town Planning provisions. When once families are in occupation of rooms, any subsequent action by the local authority appears hard and officious. SANITARY INSPECTION OF THE DISTRICT This borough is particularly favoured in respect of its environmental conditions. There have been, however, a few incidents where the establishment of industries in what are generally considered to be residential areas, have brought complaints of noxious fumes and unsightly accumulations. Stricter control by the Town Planning 9 Authority is proving quite effective against this threat to the general standard of the neighbourhood. Increased attention has been paid to the inspection of piggeries, stable yards and vacant and derelict sites. A considerable amount of drainage work, mainly the result of outstanding war damage claims, has been carried out during the year. Mosquitoes Complaints were received during the year from residents in the North-West area of the borough, about the presence of mosquitoes. It was found that these biting insects were proving to be more of a nuisance this year than had been the case previously. An intensive survey was made of the area, and occupiers of property were asked to do all they could to eliminate possible breeding grounds for mosquitoes. These insects were of the non-malarial kind, but were very troublesome, especially to persons susceptible to bites and stings. It is satisfactory to note that no complaints have since been received. As a precaution special visits were paid this year before the breeding season commenced, and likely breeding grounds again eliminated. ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION In July, 1949, complaints were received on behalf of residents in the Castelnau area about noise, smoke, dust and effluvia emanating from various premises on the Fulham and Hammersmith banks of the river. These nuisances have been in existence with varying degrees of intensity for very many years. Special reports were made to the Council on the observations which were made, and the action which was taken. Towards the end of the year considerable progress had been made in the elimination of the smoke, noise and effluvia nuisances. The main nuisance which remains is that caused by the tipping of Hammersmith refuse into barges, which are moored alongside the wharf by Hammersmith Bridge. This procedure is part of an obsolete method of refuse collection and disposal, which is to be replaced by an up-to-date system as soon as possible. WATER SUPPLY Water is supplied by the Metropolitan Water Board and control samples are frequently taken by the Board's Officers. The water supply of the area, both in quality and quantity, has again been most satisfactory. A few complaints were received, but these were found to have arisen from faulty conditions of storage on the complainants' premises. The necessary remedies were soon effected. Borough of Barnes APPENDIX to the annual report of the Medical officer of Health 1950. 13 STATISTICS AND TABLES BOROUGH OF BARNES. VITAL STATISTICS. The following statistical information relating to the Borough has been completed on receipt of the Local and National Statistics issued by the Registrar-General in connection with Population, Birth-rate, Death-rates, Maternal Mortality, Infantile Mortality, and Incidence of Notifiable Infectious Disease. Members of the Armed Forces stationed in the area are now included in the population figures, also in the Birth and Death Rates. TABLE 1.—STATISTICAL SUMMARY, 1950. Population:— Census, 1921 34,281 Census, 1931 42,440 Estimated—Mid-year, 1950 (Registrar General) 41,150 Births:— Birth-rate (per 1,000 of population) Uncorrected 12.1 Corrected (Registrar General's Comparability Factor 0.95) 11.4 Live Births:- Total. M. F. Legitimate 474 246 228 Illegitimate 24 14 10 Total 498 260 238 Still Birth-rate (per 1,000 total births) 24.0 Total M. F. Still Births (Legit. 11; Illegit. 1) 12 7 5 Deaths:— Death-rate, all causes (per 1,000 of population) Uncorrected 12.5 Corrected (Registrar General's Factor 0.87) 10.8 Total M. F. Deaths (all causes) 515 248 267 Death-rate from Cancer (per 1,000 of population), 87 deaths 2.1 Death-rate from Zymotic (Epidemic) Diseases (per 1,000 of population) •04 Death-rate from Maternal Causes (per 1,000 total births) Pregnancy; Child-birth; Abortion Death-rate of infants (per 1,000 live births) (a) Under 4 weeks of age (8 deaths) 16.0 (b) Under 1 year 20.0 Death-rate for Legitimate infants (10 deaths) 210 Illegitimate infants (— deaths) - 14 COMPARATIVE BIRTH & DEATH RATES PER 1,OOO OF THE POPULATION 15 Table 2.—Vital Statistics of the Borough of Barnes during 1950 and previous 5 Years Year. Registered Births Total Deaths registered IN the District. Transferable Deaths. Nett Deaths belonging to the District Un- corrected Number. Nett. Of nonresidents registered in the District. Of residents registered outside the District. Under 1 year of age At all ages. Number Rate. Number. Rate. Number. Rate per 1,000 nett births. Number Rate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1945 408 537 15.5 245 8.1 22 257 19 35.4 470 13.6 1946 629 726 18.3 301 7.6 14 211 26 35.8 498 12.5 1947 658 701 17.1 337 8.2 27 206 26 37.1 512 12.5 1948 460 576 14.2 252 6.2 23 216 12 20.8 445 11.0 1949 247 516 12.6 326 7.9 60 205 7 13.5 471 10.0 1950 530 498 11.4 357 8.6 52 216 10 21.0 515 10.8 Table 3.—Birth-rate, Death-rate, and Analysis of Mortality during the Year 1950, with corresponding rates for England and Wales, 126 Great Towns, 148 Smaller Towns, and for the County of Lond for comparison. Birthrate per1,000 Total Population. Annual Death Rate Per 1,000 Population Death Rate per 1,000 Births. Maternal Mortality Rate per 1,000 Total Births All Causes. Tvphoid & Paratyphoid whooping Cough Diphtheria Tuberculosis Influenza Small-pox Poliomyeliti Enceph. Pneumonia Diarrhœa and Enteritis (under 2 years) Total Deaths under One Year All Causes. Puerperal Infection. Other Causes. England and Wales 15.8 11.8 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.36 0.10 - 0.02 0.46 1.9 29.8 0.86 0.18 0.68 126 County Boroughs and Great Towns, including London 17.6 12.3 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.42 0.09 - 0.02 0.49 2.2 33.8 Not avail able 148 Smaller Towns (Estimated Resident Populations 25,000 to 50,000 at Census, 1931) 16.7 11.6 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.33 0.10 - 0.02 0.45 1.6 29.4 London 17.8 11.8 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.39 0.07 — 0.01 0.48 1.0 26.3 - - - Barnes Borough 11.4 10.8 - - — 0.29 0.05 — 0.02 0.2 .07 20.0 — — — 17 Table 4.—Causes of Death during the Year 1950. Causes of Death (Registrar-General's short list of causes). Total Deaths Male Female 1 Tuberculosis, respiratory 12 10 2 2 Tuberculosis, other 5 4 1 3 Syphilitic diseases 2 2 — 4 Diphtheria — — — 5 Whooping Cough — — — 6 Meningococcal infections — — — 7 Acute poliomyelitis 1 — 1 8 Measles 1 1 — 9 Other infective and parasitic diseases — — — 10 Malignant neoplasm, stomach 9 4 5 11 Malignant neoplasm, lung, bronchus 16 12 4 12 Malignant neoplasm, breast 11 — 11 13 Malignant neoplasm, uterus 4 — 4 14 Other malignant and lymphatic neoplasms 47 25 22 15 Leukaemia, aleukæmia 1 1 — 16 Diabetes 4 2 2 17 Vascular legions of nervous system 77 31 46 18 Coronary disease, angina 74 44 30 19 Hypertension with heart disease 14 6 8 20 Other heart disease 91 31 60 21 Other circulatory disease 18 7 11 22 Influenza 2 1 1 23 Pneumonia 10 3 7 24 Bronchitis 22 17 5 25 Other diseases of respiratory system 5 2 3 26 Ulcer of stomach and duodenum 9 7 2 27 Gastritis, enteritis and diarrhoea 3 1 2 28 Nephritis and nephrosis 8 2 6 29 Hyperplasia of prostate 3 3 — 30 Pregnancy, childbirth abortion — — — 31 Congenital malformations 3 2 1 32 Other defined and ill-defined diseases 46 21 25 33 Motor vehicle accidents 3 2 1 34 All other accidents 9 6 3 35 Suicide 4 — 4 36 Homicide and operations of war 1 1 — All Causes 515 248 267 NOTE.—There has been a slight change in the classification of some causes of death, the above being based on the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Inquiries and Causes of Death 1948, 1950 being the first year of operation. 18 Table 5.—Infant Mortality during the Year 1950. Causes of death, at various ages, of infants under one year. Cause of Death Under 1 Week 1-2 Weeks 2-3 Weeks 3-4 Weeks Total under 4 weeks 1-3 Months 3-6 Months 6-9 Months 9-12 Months Total under 1 year Deaths in the Borough Deaths outside the Borough Enlarged liver (Congenital) 1 ... ... ... 1 ... ... ... ... 1 1 ... Asphyxia—Prematurity 1 ... ... ... 1 ... ... ... ... 1 ... 1 Broncho-pneumonia ... ... 3 ... 3 ... ... ... ... 3 1 2 Congenital (Oesophageal Atresia) ... ... ... ... ... 1 ... ... ... 1 ... 1 Atelectasis 1 ... ... ... 1 ... ... ... ... 1 ... 1 Prematurity 2 ... ... ... 2 ... ... ... ... 2 1 1 Convulsions—Measles ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 1 1 1 ... All causes 5 ... 3 ... 8 1 ... ... 1 10 4 6 PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS DISEASES. Incidence of Notifiable Infectious Diseases. Comparison between the incidence of certain of the notifiable infectious diseases in Barnes, and in London and England and Wales, is shown below:— Table 6.—Infectious Diseases: Incidence per 1,000 of the Population in 1950. Disease. Barnes. London. England and Wales. Typhoid Fever .00 .01 .00 Paratyphoid Fever .02 .01 .01 Meningococcal Infection .00 .03 .03 Scarlet Fever .65 1.23 1.50 Whooping Cough 1.40 3.21 3.60 Diphtheria — .03 .02 Erysipelas .09 .17 .17 Small-pox — — — Measles 3.01 6.57 8.39 Pneumonia .31 .50 .70 Ac. Poliomyelitis (including Ac. Polioencephalitis) - - - Paralytic .02 .08 .13 Non Paralytic — .05 .05 Food Poisoning — .25 .17 19 t The deaths recorded in this column are the total corrected number of deaths assignable to the District, and are not necessarily deaths ot persons recorded as notified during the year. Table 7.—Notifiable Infectious Diseases, 1950. Diseases. Total Cases Notified. Ages, in years. Parish Removed to Hospital. Total Deaths of Residents.† Under 1 year 1 to 2. 2 to 3 3 to 4. 4 to 5. 5 to 10 10 to 15 15 to 20 20 to 25. 25 to 35 35 to 45. 45 to.65. 65 and over Barnes. Mortlake. Diphtheria — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Scarlet Fever 27 — — 1 2 2 16 l 5 — — — — — 18 9 15 — Poliomyelitis 1 — — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — 1 1 1 Acute Encephalitis— post infs. 1 — — — — — — — — — 1 — — — 1 — 1 Measles 124 4 14 15 23 22 40 4 1 — 1 — — — 76 48 4 — Whooping Cough 58 3 3 6 11 6 25 2 1 1 — — — — 35 23 2 — Pul. Tuberculosis 56 1 — — — — 2 1 3 8 22 6 11 2 22 34 37 19 Nun-Pul. Tuberculosis 2 — — — — — 1 — — — — 1 — — 1 1 2 1 Pneumonia 13 1 — — — — 1 — 1 — 3 2 3 2 11 2 — — Erysipelas 4 — — — — — — — — — 1 2 1 — 2 2 — — Ophthalmia neonatorum — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Meningococcal Infection — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Puerperal Pyrexia 1 — — — — — — — 1 — — — — — 1 — 1 — Typhoid — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Dysentery 3 — — — — — — 1 — — — 1 — 1 — 3 1 — Paratyphoid 1 — — — — — — — — — — 1 — — 1 — 1 — All Diseases 291 9 17 22 36 31 85 9 12 9 27 14 15 5 167 124 64 22 20 Table 8.—Notifiable Infectious Diseases, 1940 to 1950. Year. 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 Diphtheria 5 13 6 3 15 12 5 2 3 — — Scarlet Fever 39 21 34 184 50 36 43 27 30 38 27 Typhoid Fever 1 — — 2 — — — — — 1 — Paratyphoid Fever 1 1 — 1 — — 1 — — — 1 Puerperal Pyrexia 2 1 4 1 — 3 1 — — 1 1 Erysipelas 4 5 6 5 10 3 5 10 10 8 4 Continued Fever — — — — — — — — — — — Relapsing Fever — — — — — — — — — — — Typhus Fever — — — — — — — — — — — Small-pox — — — — — — — — — — — Cholera — — — — — — — — — — — Plague — — — — — — — — — — — Tuberculosis. P. 32 39 42 43 50 39 35 62 40 32 37 ,, Non-P. 4 4 7 7 1 6 5 9 5 6 2 Ac. Encephalitis (Post Infections) 5 4 3 2 — — 2 1 — 1 1 Poliomyelitis — — 1 — — — 1 4 4 10 1 Ophthalmia Neonatorum 2 1 — 1 1 1 2 2 1 — — Measles 79 63 712 111 68 358 177 437 158 588 124 Encephalitis Lethargica — — — — — — — — — — — Polioencephalitis — — — — — — — 1 — — — Malaria — — — 1 — — — — — — — Dysentery — 1 1 2 1 9 71 — 4 — 3 Pneumonia 14 21 16 20 18 20 19 16 20 21 13 Whooping Cough 2 151 73 82 108 71 66 94 56 15 58 Table 9.—Schools. Number in Borough Number of scholars who suffered from:— Scarlet Fever Diphtheria County Primary Schools:— 7 — Lowther 3 — East Sheen 5 — Mortlake C. of E. 2 — Mortlake R.C. 2 — County Secondary Schools:— 4 — Mortlake County Girls 2 — County Grammar Schools:— 2 — Richmond County Girls 2 — Private Schools 7 2 — Total 20 18 — 21 22 TUBERCULOSIS. Notification Register. The Register of Notifications has been kept revised in accordance with the requirements of the Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1930. The number of cases added to or removed from the Register during the year and the number remaining on the Register on December 31st, 1950 are as under:— Table 10.—Tuberculosis Register. Form of Disease. On Register, 1st lan., 1950 Cases Added. Removed from Register. Remaining on Register 31st Dec., 1950 Primary Notifies Otherwise. Restored Total NonTub. Cured Left District Dead Total Pulmonary 295 37 19 — 351 — 20 18 19 57 294 Non-Pulm'y 55 1 1 — 57 i 4 — 5 52 All Forms 350 38 20 — 408 I 24 18 19 62 346 Table 11.—Tuberculosis: New Cases and Mortality, 1950. Abb-Periods. New Cases.* Deaths. Pulmonary. NonPulmonary. Pulmonary NonPulmonary. Male Fem'le Male Fem'le Male Fem'le Male Fem'le 0-1 years 1 — — — — — — — 1-5 „ — — — — — — — — 5-10 „ 1 1 1 — — — — — 10-15 „ — 1 — — — — — — 15-20 „ 2 1 — — — — — — 20-25 „ 4 3 — — — — — — 25-35 „ 12 9 — — 1 — — — 35-45 „ 2 4 — 1 1 — — — 45-55 „ 8 — — — 4 1 — — 55-65 „ 2 1 — — 2 — — — 65 „ and over 1 3 — — 1 2 — — All ages 33 23 1 1 9 3 — — * In addition to primary notifications, all other new cases coming to the knowledge of the Medical Officer of Health are included in these figures. Incidence-rate—Pulmonary 0.89 Non-pulmonary 0.02 All forms 0.91 Death-rate —Pulmonary 0.29 Non-pulmonary 0.00 All forms 0.29 23 Table 12.—Cleansing and Disinfestation of Verminous Persons. It was only necessary for the the Borough Cleansing Station to be used once during the year, the request coming from the Police for the treatment of a verminous person awaiting a charge of vagrancy. The question as to the continuance of this Cleansing Station is to be gone into later during the year. Table 13.—Infected and Infested Rooms and Articles (dealt with by the Council). Premises disinfected 62 Lots of bedding disinfected 45 „ „ destroyed 6 „ „ disinfested 3 Council houses disinfested by liquid insecticides 8 Other houses disinfested (hydrogen cyanide—, by liquid insecticides 37) 37 HOUSING. Table 14.—HOUSING STATISTICS FOR THE YEAR 1950. 1. Number of Dwellings Owned by the Local Authority:— Number of houses 256 Total 685 „ „ flats 429 (Including corporate properties.) 2. Unfit Houses. (I) Inspection of Dwelling Houses during the Year:— (i) (a) Total number of dwelling-houses inspected for housing defects (under Public Health or Housing Acts) 767 (b) Number of inspections made for the purpose 2,887 (ii) (a) Number of dwelling-houses (included under sub-head (1) above) which were inspected and recorded under the Housing Consolidated Regulations, 1925 and 1932 Nil (b) Number of re-inspections made under the Regulations Nil (iii) Number of dwelling-houses found to be in a state so dangerous or injurious to health as to be unfit for human habitation 3 (iv) Number of dwelling-houses (exclusive of those referred to under the preceding sub-heading) found not to be in all respects reasonably fit for human habitation 251 24 (11) Remedy of Defects during the Year without service of formal notices:— Number of defective dwelling-houses rendered fit in consequence of informal action by the Local Authority or their officers (including 20 cases outstanding from the previous year) 190 (III) Action under Statutory Powers during the Year:— A. Proceedings under sections 9, 10 and 16 of the Housing Act, 1936:- (i) Number of dwelling-houses in respect of which notices were served requiring repairs 48 (ii) Number of dwelling-houses which were rendered fit after service of formal notices:— (a) By owners (including 10 cases from 1949) 30 (b) By Local Authority in default of owners — B. Proceedings under Public Health Acts:— (i) Number of dwelling-houses in respect of which notices were served, requiring defects to be remedied 17 (a) Number of dwelling-houses in which defects were remedied after service of formal notices:— (a) By owners (including 7 cases from 1949) 13 (b) By Local Authority in default of owners 4 (iii) Number of dwelling-houses in respect of which abatement orders were made by Magistrates Nil C. Proceedings under sections 11 and 13 of the Housing Act, 1936:— (i) Number of dwelling-houses in respect of which Demolition Orders were made Nil (ii) Number of dwelling-houses demolished in pursuance of Demolition Orders Nil D. Proceedings under section 12 of the Housing Act, 1936:— (i) Number of separate tenements or underground rooms in respect of which Closing Orders were made Nil (ii) Number of separate tenements or underground rooms in respect of which Closing Orders were determined, the tenement or room having been rendered fit Nil 25 3. Overcrowding. The position with regard to statutory overcrowding has been much improved, owing to the special consideration which such cases receive when the allocation of Corporation dwellings is being made. (i) Number of inspections made to cases of alleged overcrowding 39 (ii) Number of revisits — (iii) Number of overcrowded families rehoused 30 INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD. Table 15.—Food Premises. The following inspections were made in respect of premises where food is prepared, handled and distributed:— Nature of inspection Number of premises Number of visits Notices issued and complied with Bakehouses 9 50 1 Restaurants, Cafes and Dining Rooms 40 198 12 Fried Fish shops 4 25 2 Butchers' shops 30 173 5 Grocers' shops 79 230 4 Fishmongers 16 130 4 Greengrocers 38 69 2 Dairies 17 17 — Ice Cream Premises:— Manufacturers 2 9 — Retailers 68 113 — Other Food Premises or Visits 87 62 2 Table 16.—Milk Sampling. (a) Chemical Analysis. 72 samples of milk were taken and submitted to the Public Analyst for chemical analysis. These samples, taken from milk roundsmen and local retailers, proved to be quite satisfactory. (b) Bacteriological Examination and Phosphatase Test. Taken from Total No. taken Results Satisfactory Not satisfactory Schools 19 19 — Other sources 2 2 — Phosphatase tests were also carried out by the Laboratory on all the above. 20 Table 17—Sampling of other Foods and Drugs. (a) Chemical Analysis—Samples submitted to the Public Analyst under the Food and Drugs Act, 1938. Foods. Butter Honey Pepper Buttered Rolls Ice Cream Sausage Meat (Beef & Pork) Cooking Fat Iced Lollies Sausages (Beef & Pork) Coffee Jam (Strawberry) Sauce (Tomato) Coffee Extract Ketchup (Tomato) Vinegar Confectionery—Milky Mince Meat Whisky Lunch Milk (Evaporated) Wine (British Ruby) Doughnuts Milk (Condensed Skimmed) Grape Fruit Squash Drugs. Aspirin *Glauber Salts Olive Oil Cascara Liquid Paraffin Seidlitz Powder Cough Mixture With the exception of the Glauber Salts all these samples proved to be genuine. • Glauber Salts. The Public Analyst reported that this sample had become affected by evaporation, the resultant strength of the product being greater than the standard laid down in the British Pharmacopoeia. The matter was taken up with the manufacturers and the Public Analyst, and it was found that the evaporation was due to the type of container used. It was not possible to effect any alteration, but the manufacturers have agreed to investigate the provision of an airtight container when the present packaging methods are under review. (b) Bacteriological Analysis—Public Health Laboratories, Epsom. (1) Ice Cream and Rinse Water. 81 Samples were taken and submitted to the Laboratories for bacteriological examination. Owing to the numerous factors governing the hygienic quality of ice cream and the experimental error of the laboratory test itself, it has been found unwise to pay too much attention to the bacteriological results of any given sample, and judgment is therefore based on a series of samples. It has been suggested by the Laboratory Service that:— (a) Ice Cream be provisionally graded into Grades 1, 2, 3 and 4, this grading to be dependent on the result of the "Methylene Blue" test. (b) Over a period of six months 50 per cent. of a vendor's samples should fall into Grade I; 80 per cent. into Grades I and II; not more than 20 per cent. into Grade III and none into Grade IV. Following Laboratory Reports on doubtful samples, visits were made by the District Inspectors to the premises concerned, and the necessary advice given. The faults found have usually been due to carelessness on the part of the shop assistants and not to the actual ice cream. The 48 samples of ice cream taken for cteriological examination were graded, as follows:— Grade I II III IV Number 22 11 11 3 27 (2) Water. Following a complaint from a local shopkeeper as to the unwholesomeness of the butter purchased from a local branch of a multiple firm of grocers, samples of water were taken from the pail in which the butter pats were kept, together with scrapings from the pats themselves. These were submitted for bacteriological examination. The results showed some contamination which readily cleared on the provision of a new water tap and pail. (3) Spirits. In addition to the above, samples of Whisky and Gin were informally tested for specific gravity by the District Inspectors. This method is quicker and cheaper than the normal form of sampling, and, of course, permits of additional Food and Drug samples being taken within the yearly quota. Doubtful samples are of course submitted to the Public Analyst for full examination. Table 18.—Unsound Food. The following articles were voluntarily surrendered and destroyed as being unfit for human consumption:— Meat and Meat Products, etc. Vegetables. Beef lbs. 1,002 Canned Vegetables tins 208 Bacon lbs. 2 Other Foods. Mutton lbs. 7 Barley Flakes pkts. 41 Sausages lbs. 24¼ Butter lbs. 12 Canned Meat tins 45 Biscuits lbs. 76 Poultry. Cheese lbs. 9½ Cocoa lbs. 15 Chickens lbs. 45 Coffee, extract lbs. Confectionery lbs. 77½ Fish. Eggs shell 72 Flour lbs. 18 Cod lbs. 126 Fruit Juices bottles 2 Haddock lbs. 49 Jam tins 19 Skate lbs. 12 Margarine, Kosher lbs. 3/4 Witches lbs. 84 Marmalade tins 24 Canned Fish tins 41 Mayonnaisejars 4 Fruit and Nuts. Milk tins 82 Oatmeal lbs. 4 Coconut lbs. 14 Pastes (Fish and Meat) jars 4 Currants lbs. 224 Pastry Mixture pkts. 5 Dates lbs. 46 Pickles and Pickled Figs lbs. 160 Onions bottles 33 Prunes lbs. 8 Porridge pkts. 33 Walnuts lbs. 110 Prepared Puddings tin 1 Canned Fruit tins 161 Sandwich Spread jars 10 Spaghetti tins 4 Suet lbs. 7 Table 19.—Slaughterhouses. The district does not now possess a slaughter house. During the year under review 16 pigs were slaughtered on pig club premises, the slaughtering being carried out under hygienic conditions and by a licensed slaughterman. All carcases were inspected by a Sanitary Inspector. Two pigs heads were found to be affected with tuberculosis and were condemned and destroyed. 28 ROUTINE INSPECTIONS. The following premises are subject to inspection from time to time as a routine measure. Registers are maintained of these premises and appropriate action taken where conditions warrant it. Table 20.—Factories. No. of Premises on Register. Inspection. Number Written Notices Served Factories with mechanical power 144 162 4 „ without „ „ 30 37 4 Other premises in which Sect. 7 is enforced by local authorities 1 3 — Total 175 202 8 Discovered. Remedied. Contraventions:— Want of Cleanliness 4 4 San. Accom.—Unsuitable/Defective 2 2 Insufficient 2 2 Total 8 8 Matters referred to H.M. Inspector of Factories — Notifications received from H.M. Inspector of Factories 4 Legal proceedings:— No legal proceedings were necessary during 1950. Table 21.—Home Workers. Work Undertaken Mo. on Register Wearing apparel 44 Lamp Shades 14 Curtain makers 3 Household linen 6 Instrument cases 1 Stuffed toys 7 Xmas Crackers 3 Total 78 29 Table 22.—Other Premises. Nature of inspection Number of premises Number of visits Notices issued and complied with Schools 21 6 — Public Halls and Cinemas 4 7 — Piggeries and Stable Yards 17 43 4 Public Conveniences 40 69 — In addition to the above, 78 visits were made by Sanitary Inspectors to premises in connection with infectious disease. Altogether, 291 non-effective visits were made to premises of all types where no access was gained. 128 drain tests were applied during the year. R. W. Simpson & Co. Ltd. Printers, 70, Sheen Road. Richmond, and Barnes High Street. 1