Library BARN 23 BOROUGH OF BARNES Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health For the Year 1955 BOROUGH OF BARNES the Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1955 ROSETTA HILL, M.B., B.Ch., D.P.H. Medical Officer of Health. 3 BOROUGH OF BARNES. STAFF OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT Medical Officer of Health:— Rosetta Hill, M.B., B.Ch., D.P.H. Chief Sanitary Inspector:— William L. Leach, D.P.A. (London), M.S.I.A.'tt Deputy Chief Sanitary Inspector:— P. J. Shannon, M.S.I.A.*† District Sanitary Inspectors:— F. A. Sadler, M.S.I.A.*†‡ E. J. Silvester, M.S.I.A.*† B. Berry, M.S.I.A.*† * Certificate of Royal Sanitary Institute and Sanitary Inspectors Examination Joint Board. † Certificate of Royal Sanitary Institute as an Inspector of Meat and Other Foods. ‡ Certificate in Sanitary Science as applied to Buildings and Public Works. Clerical Staff:— Miss L. M. Fairclough. Mrs. J. D. Wallis. J. M. Shearer. Public Analyst:— D. D. Moir, Esq., M.Sc., F.R.I.c. PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE, 1955-1956 Councillor F. W. M. Moore (Chairman) Councillor F. R. Cooper (Deputy Chairman) The Mayor (Councillor F. D. Christian) Alderman E. S. Stevens Alderman H. Thomas, J.P. Councillor B. Henry-Deane Barrett Councillor E. S. Bolton Councillor F. A. Counter Councillor W. A. Hornshaw Councillor Mrs. M. E. Hull Councillor Wm. J. Irwin Councillor A. G. Lawrance Councillor D. Lee Councillor Mrs. D. White 4 Public Health Department, Municipal Offices, Sheen Lane, S.W.14. 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 1955. In accordance with the Ministry of Health Circular 17/55, the report 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. During the year the health of the Borough has been good, and the incidence of infectious disease low. The population as estimated by the Registrar General is now 40,170. The birth rate has risen from 10.1 in 1954 to 10.7 in 1955, and the death rate shows a slight increase from 10.5 in 1954 to 10.8. in 1955. There was a decrease in the number of infant deaths under 1 year there being 5 deaths this year as compared with 9 deaths in 1954 The infant mortality rate for this area is 11.6 per 1,000 live births In presenting this report I should like to thank the Council for their continued support and interest in public health matters. Also I have to thank the staff for their good work during the year. I have the honour to be, Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen, Your obedient servant, ROSETTA HILL, August, 1956 Medical Officer of Health. 5 BOROUGH OF BARNES. REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH FOR THE YEAR 1955 PREFACE The Registrar General supplies 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 AND DUTIES Mr. E. J. Silvester resigned from the position of District Sanitary Inspector on the 31st March 1955, to take up an appointment with another authority. The vacancy was filled by Mr. B. Berry, who commenced duties on 1st July, 1955. There were no other changes in the Staff of the Public Health Department during the year. PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS DISEASES Generally The incidence of Infectious Disease during the year was low, except for an epidemic of measles. There were only 7 cases of Scarlet Fever notified during the year as compared with 29 the previous year. There was an increase in the number of cases of Whooping Cough, there being 42 cases during the year as compared with 25 in 1954. There were 489 cases of measles notified during the year—this being the epidemic year for measles. In the previous year there were only 5 cases. There were no cases of Diphtheria in 1955. Poliomyelitis During the year there were 8 cases of Poliomyelitis notified— 7 paralytic and 1 non-paralytic. Two of the paralytic cases were not 6 severe, and made a complete recovery, but the remaining 5 cases were of greater severity, and required prolonged treatment in hospital. Tuberculosis There was a further decrease in the number of new cases of Pulmonary Tuberculosis, there having been only 23 new cases as compared with 27 cases in 1954. The new cases of Non-Pulmonary Tuberculosis were the same as last year, viz., 3 cases. Death Rate There was a very marked decrease in the number of deaths of Pulmonary Tuberculosis cases. Five persons who had been suffering from Pulmonary Tuberculosis died during the year, as against 10 in the previous year, but of these 5 cases in only one case was the cause of death Pulmonary Tuberculosis—the remaining four having been due to other causes. Maternal Mortality There was one maternal death recorded during the year. The cause of death was uraemia due to nephritis. Infant Mortality Rate The number of deaths of infants under one year was 5 as compared with 9 deaths in 1954. The infant mortality rate for this area is therefore 11.6 per 1,000 live births as compared with 22.1 for 1954. REMOVAL OF PERSONS IN NEED OF CARE AND ATTENTION, Section 47, National Assistance Act, 1948 21 cases were reported during the year of old people needing care and attention. There was only one case where it was found necessary to take action under Section 47 of the National Assistance Act. The patient was a woman aged 85 years who was living in insanitary conditions, and was unable to devote to herself, and was not receiving from other persons, proper care and attention. She was removed to Barnes Hospital on 21st January and died there on 20th April, 1955. There is good co-operation from Kingston Hospital in arranging admission for urgent cases, and the County Welfare Department also co-operate well in providing residential accommodation for suitable cases. Dysentery There were no cases of Dysentery during 1955. 7 FOOD POISONING Number of cases notified 10 Number of deaths Nil The ten cases of Food Poisoning notified during the year were isolated cases and mostly the illnesses were slight and of short duration. Bacteriological investigation was carried out in most of the cases, and in only one was the infecting organism discovered, and found to be Salmonella typhi murium. FOOD Constant supervision has been maintained over premises and persons engaged in the storage, preparation and distribution of food. The general standard appears to have improved slightly and it has only been necessary to caution traders in one or two cases. The introduction of the new Food Hygiene Regulations will go some way to instilling into food handlers the doctrine of Clean Food. Fingers are used for handling open food very much more often than need be, behind the scenes, especially in Butchers' Shops and Cafe kitchens. It is noticeable, however, that the amount of food which is actually exposed to handling in shops is decreasing, and there is a welcome increase in prepacked articles. The new requirements for the provision of proper wash-hand-basins, with hot and cold water, in addition to proper sinks, should help to emphasise to food handlers the vital necessity for clean hands at all times. The new Food and Drugs Act tightens up the labelling requirements in respect of articles of food sold. As an example " cream " buns must contain only real cream. If imitation cream is used this must be clearly indicated. HOUSING The acute shortage of housing accommodation in the District continues to have an overriding influence on the policy being followed in dealing with sub-standard houses. Although the Council is under no legal obligation to rehouse families displaced from individual unfit houses, nevertheless, there is a distinct moral obligation to do so because these families cannot otherwise secure suitable alternative accommodation. With Clearance Areas, however, the Council must be able to state that they can, and will, rehouse families displaced. Having regard to the relative urgency of the worst cases on the Housing List, as compared with families living in unfit houses, the rate of progress in closing unfit properties must necessarily be slow. There is, unfortunately, a considerable lapse of time, usually many months, before a family can be rehoused after a decision has been taken to close the house, and it now appears, as a result of a High Court decision, that the Council should not attempt to compel an owner to carry out any patching repairs, however urgent, with the result that the unfortunate families must suffer from leaking roofs, rotten flooring, and other serious defects whilst awaiting rehousing and, presumably, still paying rent. Another most unsatisfactory feature is the state of affairs where several families are accommodated in one house. Adequate powers are now available to require the provision of proper and separate facilities where necessary. However, as an alternative to providing the extra facilities, the owner can now take action to reduce the number of occupants, and in order to do so can secure the eviction of any of the individuals, or households, in the house. The Rent Restrictions Acts cease to protect tenants in these circumstances. As the Council could not, usually, rehouse these tenants if evicted, it becomes obvious that the power given to improve the lot of these people cannot be used in case the enforcement weapon should recoil on them. In many cases the owners would be only too willing to get rid of these sub-tenants so that they would be free to exploit the housing shortage in some other, more profitable, way. There have been comparatively few applications for Certificates of Disrepair under the Repairs Increase provisions. There has been no noticeable improvement in the standard of maintenance of rented property, for the cost of repairs to old property continues to be prohibitive. Owing to staff shortage, and other calls on the time of the Inspectors, little has been done in the way of routine House to House Inspections. The number of complaints about defects in houses has fallen and tenants generally seem to be chary of asking for repairs to be carried out, fearing this to be a prelude to an increase in rent. SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES There were no special problems encountered during the year with the exception of the resumption of the nuisance from small flies in the Glentham Road area. These flies (Tanytarous gregarious) are bred in and around the Reservoirs of the Metropolitan Water Board, and control operations are rendered very difficult because of the necessity of using only such materials as will not affect the purity of the water. However, energetic measures were successful in mitigating the nuisance. Up to the time of writing comparatively little trouble has been experienced this year. ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION Pollution by excessive smoke emission has been confined to those processes the nature of which do not lend themselves to complete and satisfactory combustion. Complaints were received both in respect of the Refuse Destructor chimneys and the Crematorium. In both cases the plant is operated with all practical steps being taken to minimise 9 nuisance, but the nature of the work undertaken is of over-riding priority. The expenditure of large sums of money cannot guarantee a completely satisfactory remedy but the authorities involved are actively concerned with the problem. It is to be hoped that these smoke nuisances can be satisfactorily disposed of before the time arrives for declaring Smoke Control areas under the provisions of the Clean Air Act, 1956. SEWERAGE AND SEWAGE DISPOSAL The trouble experienced with effluvia from the newly reorganised sewage disposal works has unfortunately not been overcome. During certain climatic conditions there is quite a serious nuisance to inhabitants of the area adjacent to the works. Here again the necessity to provide a satisfactory effluent, and to abstract the maximum amount of harmful constituents from the sewage, takes precedence over all other considerations. It is to be hoped, however, that a solution will eventually be found to the problem of effluvia, which is of course not confined to these particular works but occurs all over the country, even with up-to-date plant. WATER SUPPLY The water supply arrangements have remained unchanged, a good supply, both as regards quantity and quality, being maintained by the Metropolitan Water Board. Very few complaints were received, and in no case was this due to the main supply. The Board exercises close chemical and bacteriological analytical control. Many minor complaints about defective fittings, bursts, etc., have been referred to the Board, and they have invariably had prompt and efficient attention. Borough of Barnes APPENDIX to the annual report of the Medical Officer of Health 1955. 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, 1955 Population:— Census, 1931 42,440 Census, 1951 40,558 Estimated—Mid-year, 1955 (Registrar General) 40,170 Births:— Birth-rate (per 1,000 of population) Uncorrected 10.7 Corrected (Registrar General's Comparability Factor 1.00) 10.7 Live Births:— Total. M. F. Legitimate 409 200 209 Illegitimate 21 14 7 Total 430 214 216 Still Birth-rate (per 1,000 total births) 16.3 Total M. F. Still Births (Legit. 7) 7 2 5 Deaths:— Death-rate, all causes (per 1,000 of population) Uncorrected 13.3 Corrected (Registrar General's Factor 0.81) 10.8 Total M. F. Deaths (all causes) 534 276 258 Death-rate from Cancer (per 1,000 of population), 102 deaths 2.5 Death-rate from Zymotic (Epidemic) Diseases (per 1,000 of population) 0.05 Death-rate from Maternal Causes (per 1,000 total births) Pregnancy; Child-birth; (1 death) 2.3 Death-rate of infants (per 1,000 live births) (a) Under 4 weeks of age (5 deaths) 11.6 (b) Under 1 year (5 deaths) 11.6 Death-rate for Legitimate infants (3 deaths) 7.0 Illegitimate infants (2 deaths) 4.6 14 COMPARATIVE BIRTH & DEATH RATES 15 Table 2.—Vital Statistics of the Borough of Barnes during 1955 and previous 5 Years Year. Registered Birth* Total Deaths Registered in the District Transferable Deaths. Nett Deaths belonging to the District. Uncorrected Number. Nett. Of nonresidents registered in the District. Of residents registered outside the District. Under 1 year of age At all ages. Number. Bate. Number. Rate. Number. Rate per 1,000 nett birlhs. Number Rats 1 2 3 4 S 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1950 530 498 11.4 357 86 52 216 10 21.0 515 10.8 1951 452 430 10.5 322 8.0 43 226 11 25.5 513 12.6 1952 443 419 10.4 350 8.7 59 218 13 31.0 508 12.6 1953 453 434 10.8 387 9.6 17 194 10 23.0 564 14.1 1954 423 407 10.1 344 8.6 30 207 9 22.1 521 13.0 1955 455 430 10.7 334 8.3 20 218 5 11.6 532 13.2 16 Table 3.—Birth-rate, Death-rate, and Analysis of Mortality during the Year 1955, with corresponding rates for england and wales, 160 great towns, 160 smaller towns, and for the County of London for comparison. birthrate per l ,000 Total Population. Annual Death-rate per 1,000 Population. Death rate per 1,000 birth. Maternal Mortality Rate per 1,000 Total Births All Causes. Typhoid & Paratyphoid Whooping Cough. Diphtheria. Tuberculosis Influenza. Small-pox. Poliomyelitis Enceph. Pneumonia Diarrhoea and Enteritis (under 2 years). Total Deaths under One Year. Total Maternal Mortality Maternal causes (excluding abortion) Due to Abortion England and Wales 15.0 11.7 0.00 o.oo o.oo 0.15 0.81 - 0.01 0.49 0.75 24.9 0.64 0.54 0.10 160 County Boroughs and Great Towns, including London 14.9 11.6 0.00 0.00 o.oo 0.17 0.06 - 0.01 0.53 - 25.1 Not avail able 160 Smaller Towns (Estimated Resident Populations 25,000 to 50,000 at Census, 1951) 14.9 11.6 0.00 o.oo o.oo 0.13 0.07 - o.oo 0.45 - 25.2 London 15.1 11.5 - 0.00 o.oo 0.17 0.05 - 0.01 0.63 0.00 23.2 Barnes Borough 10.7 10.8 - - - 0.05 0.10 — — 0.82 — 11.6 — - — 17 Table 4. —Causes of Death during the Year 1955. Causes of Death (Registrar-General's short list of causes) Total Deaths Male Female 1 Tuberculosis, respiratory 1 — 1 2 Tuberculosis, other — — — 3 Syphilitic diseases 1 — 1 4 Diphtheria — — — 5 Whooping Cough — — — 6 Meningococcal infections — — — 7 Acute poliomyelitis — — — 8 Measles 1 1 — 9 Other infective and parasitic diseases 1 — 1 10 Malignant neoplasm, stomach 5 4 1 11 Malignant neoplasm, lung, bronchus 22 21 1 12 Malignant neoplasm, breast 15 — 15 13 Malignant neoplasm, uterus 4 — 4 14 Other malignant and lymphatic neoplasms 56 29 27 15 Leuksmia, aleukaemia 2 1 1 16 Diabetes 3 2 1 17 Vascular legions of nervous system 93 37 56 18 Coronary disease, angina 74 42 32 19 Hypertension with heart disease 24 12 12 20 Other heart disease 58 26 32 21 Other circulatory diseases 26 14 12 22 Influenza 4 3 1 23 Pneumonia 33 19 14 24 Bronchitis 21 18 3 25 Other diseases of respiratory system 5 3 2 26 Ulcer of stomach and duodenum 3 2 1 27 Gastritis, enteritis and diarrhoea 1 — 1 28 Nephritis and nephrosis 4 3 1 29 Hyperplasia of prostate 6 6 — 30 Pregnancy, childbirth abortion 1 — 1 31 Congenital malformations 3 1 2 32 Other defined and ill-defined diseases 46 19 27 33 Motor vehicle accidents 4 4 — 34 All other accidents 13 8 5 35 Suicide 4 1 3 36 Homicide and operations of war — — — All Causes 534 276 258 18 Table 5.—Infant Mortality during the Year 1955. 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 woks 1-3 Months 3-6 Months 6-9 Months 9-12 Months Total under 1 year Deaths in the Borough Deaths outside Borough Hydrocephalus, Meningococcal 1 .. .. .. 1 .. .. .. .. 1 .. 1 Atelectasis, Prematurity 1 .. .. .. 1 .. .. .. .. 1 .. 1 General debility, Prematurity and immaturity 1 .. .. .. 1 .. .. .. .. 1 .. 1 Asphyxia due to the inhalation of fluid—P.M. Open Verdict 1 .. .. .. 1 .. .. .. .. 1 1 .. Subarachnoid haemorrhage due to rupture of the Tentorium cerebri P.M. 1 .. .. .. 1 .. .. .. .. 1 1 .. 5 .. .. .. 5 .. .. .. .. 5 2 3 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 on next page. 19 Table 6.-Infectious Diseases: Incidence per 1,000 of the Population in 1955. Disease. Barnes London England and Wales Typhoid Fever - 0.03 0.02 Paratyphoid Fever 0.05 Meningococcal Infection - 0.03 0.03 Scarlet Fever 0.17 0.62 0.73 Whooping Cough 1.05 1.41 1.78 Diphtheria - - 0.00 Erysipelas 0.17 - 0.10 Small-pox - - - Measles 12.17 14.8 15.60 Pneumonia 0.7 0.57 0.60 Acute poliomyelitis Paralytic 0.17 0.16 0.08 Non-paralytic 0.02 0.13 0.06 Food Poisoning 0.25 0.46 0.29 Puerperal Pyrexia 0.07 - - Malaria 0.02 - Table 7.-Notifiable Infectious Diseases, 1955. 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 7 - - - - - 5 - - 1 - 1 - - 3 4 3 - Poliomyelitis - Paralytic 7 1 1 - 1 - 2 - - - 1 l - - 1 6 7 - " Non-Paralytic 1 - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - 1 1 - Measles 489 7 29 - 125 306 16 - 2 4 - - - 259 230 1 1 Whooping Cough 4? 2 2 - 6 - 29 3 - - - - - - 11 31 - - Pul. Tuberculosis 23 - - - - - - - - 7 10 5 1 15 8 - 1 Non-Pul. Tuberculosis 3 - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 2 2 1 - - Acute Pneumonia 31 - - - - 1 1 1 - - 4 5 5 14 22 9 4 - Erysipelas 7 - - - - - - - - - - 1 4 2 1 6 1 - Ophthalmia Neonatorum - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Meningococcal Infect'n - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Puerperal Pyrexia 3 - - - - - - - - 1 2 - - - 2 1 1 - Dysentery - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Food Poisoning 10 - - - - 1 1 - - - 3 2 2 1 5 5 1 - Para Typhoid 2 - - - - - 1 1 - - - - - - 2 - 2 - Malaria 1 - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - 1 - - - All Diseases 626 10 32 - 132 2 347 21 - 12 14 20 16 20 324 302 21 2 † The deaths recorded in this column are the total corrected number of deaths assignable to the District, and are not necessarily deaths of persons recorded as notified during the year. 20 Table 8.—Notifiable Infectious Diseases, 1945 to 1955. Year 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 Diphtheria 12 5 2 3 — — — — — — — Scarlet Fever 36 43 27 30 38 27 17 42 21 29 7 Typhoid Fever — — — — 1 — 2 — — 1 — Paratyphoid Fever — 1 — — — 1 — 1 — — 2 Puerperal Pyrexia 3 1 — — 1 1 — 4 1 — 3 Erysipelas 3 5 10 10 8 4 2 8 7 2 7 Continued Fever — — — — — — — — — — — Relapsing Fever — — — — — — — — — — — Typhus Fever — — — — — — — — — — — Small-pox — — — — — — — — — — — Cholera — — — — — — — — — — — Plague — — — — — — — — — — — Tuberculosis. P. 39 35 62 40 32 37 38 39 37 27 23 Non-P. 6 5 9 5 6 2 1 7 3 3 3 Ac. Encephalitis (Post Infections) — 2 1 — 1 1 — — — — — Poliomyelitis, Paralytic — 1 4 4 10 1 — 8 3 1 7 " Non-Paralvtic — — — — — — — — — — 1 Ophthalmia Neonatorum 1 2 2 1 — — — — — — — Meningococcal Infect'n — — — — — — 2 — — 2 — Measles 358 177 437 158 588 124 541 249 306 5 489 Encephalitis Lethargica — — — — — — — — — — — Polioencephalitis — — 1 — — — — — — — — Malaria — — — — — — — — 2 — 1 Dysentery 9 71 — 4 — 3 4 11 25 75 — Pneumonia 20 19 16 20 21 13 29 21 27 11 31 Whooping Cough 71 66 94 56 15 58 82 19 136 25 42 Food Poisoning — — — — — — — 1 11 5 10 21 22 TUBERCULOSIS. Notification Register. The Register of Notifications has been kept revised in accordance with the requirements of the Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1952. The number of cases added to or removed from the Register during the year and the number remaining on the Register on December 31st, 1955 are as under:— Table 9.—Tuberculosis Register. Form of Disease. On Register, 1st Jan, 1955 Cases Added. Removed from Register. Remaining on Register 31st Dec. 1955 Primary Notif ns Oiherwise. Restored Total NonTub. Cured Left District Dead Total. Pulmonary 277 23 15 2 317 — 21 38 5 64 253 Non - Pulm'y 39 3 2 — 44 — 4 2 — 6 38 Totals 316 26 17 2 361 — 25 40 5 70 291 Table 10.—Tuberculosis: New Cases and Mortality, 1955. New Cases.* Deaths. Age-Periods. Pulmonary. NonPulmonary. Pulmonary NonPulmonary. Male Fem'le Male Fem'le Male Fem'le Male Fem'le 0-1 years — — — — — — — — 1-5 „ — — — — — — — — 5-10 „ — — — — — — — — 10-15 „ — — — — — — — — 15-20 4 2 — — — — — — 20-25 „ 1 2 — 2 — — — — 25-35 „ 7 5 1 — — — — — 35-45 „ 5 3 — — 1 1 — — 45-55 „ 4 2 — — — — — — 55-65 „ 2 1 — — 1 — — — 65 ,, and over 2 — 1 1 2 — — — All ages 25 15 2 3 4 1 — — * 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 0.99 All forms 1.11 Non-pulmonary 0.12 Death-rate —Pulmonary 0.12 All forms 0.12 23 Table 11.—IMMUNISATION and VACCINATION. Diphtheria Immunisation. The following Table shows the state of Diphtheria Immunisation of the Children of Barnes:— Infants 0-4 inclusive School Children 5-14 inclusive Estimated Child population 2,281 4,458 Number immunised during 1955 342 36 Number re-immunised during 1955 61 703 Total number immunised during 1955 1,552 4,255 Percentage immunised at 31st December, 1955 68.0% 95.4% Whooping Cough Immunisation. Number of children immunised by primary course 338 Number of children who had a reinforcing injection 25 Vaccination against Smallpox. Number of Vaccinations carried out during 1955:— Children Adults Primary Vaccination 270 19 Re-vaccination 35 103 Number of Vaccinations carried out at Clinics 212 12 Number of Vaccinations done by private doctors 102 110 Figures showing percentage of children under 1 year vaccinated during 1955:— Number Vaccinated under 1 year 230 Live births 1954 435 Percentage Vaccinated 52.9% 24 Table 12.—Infected Rooms and Articles (dealt with by the Council). Premises disinfected 27 Lots of bedding disinfected 22 ,, „ destroyed 11 HOUSING Table 13.—HOUSING INSPECTION FOR THE YEAR 1955 1. Unfit Houses. Informal Action Total number of inspections (including re-inspections) made in respect of unsatisfactory housing conditions 965 Number of houses inspected in respect of unsatisfactory living conditions, but where no repairs were required 92 Number of unfit or defective houses repaired during the period as a result of informal action by the local authority or officers under the Public Health or Housing Acts 100 Action under Statutory Powers Public Health Acts: Number of houses in which defects were remedied after service of formal notices:— (a) By owners 14 (b) By local authority in default of owners Nil Housing Act, 1936 Number of Houses made fit after service of formal notices (Sections 9, 10, and 16):— (a) By owners 10 (b) By local authority in default of owners Nil No houses or parts of houses were closed or demolished under the provisions of the Housing Acts during the year. 2. Overcrowding The position with regard to statutory overcrowding has been 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 7 (ii) Number of revisits Nil (iii) Number of overcrowded families rehoused 13 25 3. Disinfestation. As the Borough Cleansing Station is not now in use, arrangements were made for the treatment of one person (male) for scabies at the Medicinal Baths of the Hammersmith Borough Council. Disinfestation by spraying or fumigation was carried out in 7 houses or flats, including 1 Council-owned property, by Corporation staff. 8 lots of bedding, furniture, etc., were destroyed, mainly as a result of deaths or infestation. INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD. Table 14.—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 10 18 — Bread and Cakes. 16 19 1 Butchers 28 50 3 Cafes, Restaurants, etc. 42 89 — Cooked Meats 64 29 — Dairies and Milk Shops 25 15 — Fishmongers 15 30 — Greengrocers 43 54 — Grocers 78 137 2 Ice Cream :— Note: No Ice Cream produced during year. Manufacturers 2 — Retailers 80 27 Public Houses 30 22 — Street Traders 8 — — Sweets, Confectionery 56 19 — School Kitchens 5 5 — Table 15.—Milk Sampling. Chemical Analysis. 24 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. 26 Table 16.—Sampling of Other Foods and Drugs. (a) Chemical Analysis.—68 Samples procured under the provisions of the Food & Drugs Act, 1938, included:— Almond Rock Baked Beans and Pork Sausages Beef and Liver Soup Bismuth Compound Bone and Vegetable Broth Boston Brandy Snaps Bread and Butter Butter Butter Mint Buttered Rolls Buttered Scones Butter Toffee Butter Scotch Cake Mix Chocolate Candy Coconut Ice Coconut Scotch Coffee and Chicory Essence Concentrated Chicken Broth Cream of Mushroom Soup Currants Dressed Crab Fruit Juice Fruit Milk Drink—Strawberry Full Fruit Jellies Glucose Tablets Grape Fruit Juice Foods. Hot Milk Jelly Eggs Layer Cake Lemon Curd Lemon Juice Margarine with 10% butter Margarine with 25% fresh dairy cream Meat Paste—Liver and Bacon Meatless Sausages Mincemeat Mint Sauce—Fully Sugar Sweetened Orangeade Powder Orange Juice Sweetened Parsley Sauce Tablets Peanut Butter Peppermints Pineapple Juice Prepared Mixed Vegetables Prime Chicken Quinine Tonic Water Roasted Peanuts Roasted Salted Cashew Nuts Salmon Relish Sugar Sailor Vegetable Salad White Pepper Sample No. 45—Broth—Chicken—Concentrated. The broth prepared in accordance with the directions for use printed on the container would contain only 0.4% of protein whereas canned chicken broth of ordinary commercial quality intended for use without dilution contains not less than 1 % protein. This article is therefore deficient in protein. Sample No. 48—Cake Mix. The statement on the label specifying the ingredients appeard on the bottom of the carton and not in a conspicuous and prominent position as required by the Labelling of Food Order, 1953. Also in my opinion, a picture on the front panel of a cake complete with "Buttercream" filling and icing was likely to be misleading since the ingredients did not include those necessary for icing and filling. Sample No. 75—Bread and Butter. Consisted of sliced bread spread with a mixture consisting of approximately equal proportions of butter and margarine. Sample No. 86—Buttered Rolls. Consisted of bread roll and margarine. 27 Sample No. 93—Hot Milk. Contained 20% of added water. The freezing point confirmed the presence of added water. Sample No. 94—Fruit Syrup (Lemon) Contained only 5% lemon juice, whereas in my opinion a reasonable minimum lemon juice content for fruit syrup is 25%. Table 17.—Unsound Food The following articles were voluntarily surrendered and destroyed as being unfit for human consumption:— Where quantities are insufficient for salvage all unsound food is collected and disposed of at the Council's Refuse Destructor, by incineration. Meat and Meal Products, etc. Bacon lbs. 138 Beans and Pork lbs. 2 Beef lbs. 885 3/8 Beef Loaf lb. 3/4 Canned Meat lbs. 374 Lambs' Liver lbs. 10 Pigs' Kidney lbs. 16 Pigs' Liver lbs. 32 Sausage Meat lbs. 7 7/8 Sheeps' Hearts lbs. 11 Stewed Steak lbs. 4 7/8 Fish Canned Fish lbs. 5 3/8 Cod lbs. 13½ Golden Cutlets lbs. 28 Haddock lbs. 3 Rock Salmon stones 6 Whiting stones 12 Fruit Canned Fruit lbs. 248 5/8 Vegetables Baked Beans lbs. 18½ Canned Tomatoes lbs. 49 1/8 Canned Vegetables lbs. 27½ Other Foods Biscuits lbs. 3¾ Cereals lbs. 3 Cheese lbs. 184¾ Coffee lbs. 6 ¼ Cream lbs. 1 3/8 Jam lbs. 7¼ Liquid Frozen Egg lbs. 28 Macaroni lbs. 20¾ Marmalade lbs. 6 Milk pints 9¼ ,, tins 6 Orange Juice lbs. l 1/8 Pastes, Fish lbs. 22½ Sauces lbs. 8 Soup lbs. 26 Spaghetti lbs. 2 Vitacup lb. ¾ Table 18.—Slaughter-houses. The district does not now possess a slaughter-house. No animals were slaughtered for food in this district during 1955. 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. Tabl.e 19.—Factories. No. of Premises on Register. Inspection. Number Written Notices Served Factories with mechanical power 146 44 2 ,, without „ „ 23 11 - Other premises in which Sect. 7 is enforced by local authorities 3 - - Total 172 55 2 Discovered Remedied Inadequate Ventilation - - including 2 from 1954 Sanitary Conveniences (s.7)— (a) Insufficient - - (b) Unsuitable or defective . . 2 4 Other offences against the Act (not including offences relating to Outwork) - - Total 2 4 Matters referred to H.M. Inspector of Factories — Notifications received from H.M. Inspector of Factories 1 Legal proceedings:— No legal proceedings were necessary during 1955. Table 20.—Home Workers. Work Undertaken No. No. on Register Wearing apparel 83 Lamp Shades 14 Curtain makers and upholstery 8 Household linen 2 Stuffed toys and Nursery Articles 4 Xmas Crackers 4 Artificial Flowers 6 Carding of buttons 1 Textile Weaving 1 Total 123 29 Table 21.—Other Premises. Nature of inspection Number of premises Number of visits Notices issued and complied with Schools 21 5 — Public Halls, Cinemas and Public Conveniences 41 16 - Piggeries and Stable Yards 8 22 - In addition to the above, 107 visits were made by Sanitary Inspectors to premises in connection with infectious disease. Altogether, 347 non-effective visits were made to premises of all types where no access was gained. R. W. Simpson & Co., Ltd., Printers, 70, Sheen Road. Richmond, and Barnes High Street.