tc 4349 DAD 59 Metropolitan Borough of Paddington REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH FOR THE YEAR 1959 H. LESLIE OLDERSHAW, M.D. (London), B.S., D.P.H. CONTENTS Page Aged and infirm persons 33 Atmospheric pollution 28 Bakehouses 21 Burials and cremations 23 Common Lodging Houses 22 Contributions to Organisations 37 Deaths 10 Disinfection and disinfestation 18 Drainage reconstruction 23 Factories 23 Food supervision, samples and Regulations 19 Hairdressers and barbers 21 Holiday Home 34 Houseboats 31 Housing 26 Infectious disease 15 Legal proceedings 24 Marriages 8 Mass X-ray 35 Maternity and Child Welfare 35 Mortuary 23 National Assistance Acts 34 Outworkers 23 Pet Animals Act 23 Pharmacy and Poisons Acts 23 Protective helmets 21 Public Analyst's Report 38 Public Health Inspectors—Summary of work 17 Rag Flock Act 23 Rent Act, 1957 21 Rodent control 19 Shops Acts 21 Smoke control areas 30 Staff 5 Street traders 21 Suicides 12 Swimming baths 34 Tuberculosis 16 Vaccination and Immunisation 17 Venereal Disease 16 Vital statistics 6 Water supply 22 Except where otherwise indicated, the figures in brackets throughout this Report are the figures for 1958, and are shown for comparison. 3 To The Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Metropolitan Borough of Paddington. Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honour to present to you the Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health for 1959. Vital Statistics The Registrar General has estimated a reduction of 2,000 in the mid-year population of the Borough, as compared with 5,000 last year. Unhappily the illegitimate birth rate remains high, thus 18 per cent. of the live births in the Borough were illegitimate. In previous years councillors expressed their concern at the high number of deaths from suicide which occur each year. An attempt has neen made in the body of the Report to analyse these figures. Infectious Disease I am pleased to report that the incidence of infectious disease in the Borough remained low throughout the year. Unhappily, however, the Ministry of Health, during the year under review, found it necessary to draw the attention of local authorities to the increasing incidence of gonorrhoea. Nearly 10,000 persons were immunised against poliomyelitis during 1959 Water Supply. Dr. Windle Taylor, the Director of Water Examination of the Metropolitan Water Board has been good enough to send me a brief report on his department as it affects the health and safety of the residents of this Borough. Perhaps one is inclined to take for granted the detailed investigation which is carried on unceasingly to protect our water supplies. The importance of this work cannot be over estimated. Smoke Control Areas Most satisfactory progress has been made by the department in this important aspect of our work. At the request of the Minister a phased programme has been made, and it is hoped that by 1968 the whole Borough will be covered by a series of Smoke Control Orders. Considerable time and attention has also been devoted to the examination, and approval where appropriate, of applications in respect of the installation of industrial or domestic furnaces with a heating capacity of 55,000 or more B.T.Us. per hour. Care of the Aged In the report I have listed the numerous services which are available in this Borough to this section of the community. There continues to be a close liaison between the voluntary bodies and the officers of your Council engaged on these activities. 4 Public Swimming Baths The Ministry have asked that this year the Report should include a paragraph describing the public swimming baths in the district, their source of water, treatment and bacteriological control. I am indebted to the Manager of the Paddington Baths for the information which I have included in this Report. Conclusion I would like to express my gratitude for the help and co-operation I have received from the Chairman and Members of the Public Health Committee, the Chief Officers of the Council, and especially to all the staff of the Public Health Department. I have the honour to be Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen, Your obedient Servant, H. LESLIE OLDERSHAW, Medical Officer of Health. Public Health Department, 14-15, Park Place Villas, London, W.2. Tel. No.: Paddington 1251. 5 PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE (at 31st December, 1959) Ald. Miss C. P. Rabagliati, M.B.E. (Chairman) Clr. Mrs. I. L. Bolton Clr. J. J. L. de Segrais, F.R.I.B.A. Clr. W. Dow Clr. A. A. Dumont Clr. J. W. Gibson Clr. J. Lugton, M.B.E. Clr. G. J. O'Connell Clr. Mrs. J. Silverman COUNCIL MEMBERS SERVING ON OTHER COMMITTEES (at 31st December, 1959) London County Council Divisional Health Committee:— Ald. Miss C. P. Rabagliati, M.B.E. Clr. Mrs. E. G. Lane Clr. W. Dow Paddington (Group 21) Hospital Management Committee:— Ald. Miss C. P. Rabagliati, M.B.E. Ald. F. Lawrence, O.B.E., J.P., L.C.C. (Chairman) Ald. W. E. Harriss Paddington and St. Marylebone District Nursing Association:— Ald. Miss C. P. Rabagliati, M.B.E. Clr. W. Dow Clr. F. H. Harris Clr. A. W. Miller Clr. G. J. O'Connell Clr. Mrs. J. Silverman PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICERS (at 31st December, 1959) Medical Officer of Health:— H. Leslie Oldershaw, M.D.(London), B.S., D.P.H. Deputy Medical Officer of Health:— Hilary Stella Mary Hadaway, M.B., B.S., D.P.H. Public Analyst:— C. H. Wordsworth, B.Sc., F.R.I.C. Administrative Staff:— S. W. Ruffey (Chief Clerk) H. J. Parker S. W. Wordingham A. G. L. E. Houghton E. J. Cleaver D. J. Myers H. C. P. Eagle A. E. Blake R. A. Cummins C. Webdale (on National Service) E. Crabb A. Rawson (Temporary appointment) 6 Miss D. L. Smeaton Mrs. F. M. Bean Area Public Health Inspectors:— W. H. G. Atkins, (1) V. L. Ronchetti (1) (2) E. B. Wilde (1) (2) (3) Area Public Health Inspector and Clean Air Inspector: — G. S. Adams (1) (2) (3) District Public Health Inspectors:— C. G. Heron (1) (2) E. Marshall (1) (2) C. Chesterman (1) (2) R. Fowler (1) (2) R. E. Williams (1) (2) V. A. Vickers (1) J. W. Starr (1) K. G. Mahers (1) Female Public Health Inspector:— Miss E. Z. Amor (1) (2) (4) Chief Food Inspector and Sampling Officer:— A. C. Harrison (1) (2) Welfare Officer:— Miss I. O. D. Harrison, M.I.W.O. Visitors:— Mrs. E. L. Falloon (4) Mrs. A. J. Short (4) Holiday Home Manageress:— Mrs. G. Cope Rodent Officer:— W. A. Dunkley General Assistant (Clean Air):— C. Lewis There are two Student Public Health Inspectors (one male and one female) undergoing training. Four Rodent Operatives, two Medicinal Baths Attendants, three Disinfection and Disinfestation Operatives and one Drain Tester are employed in the Public Health Department. There is a domestic staff of three (cook, chambermaid-waitress, and general domestic) at the Holiday Home. (1) Public Health Inspector's certificate of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health. (2) Meat and Other Food Inspector's certificate. (3) Smoke Inspector's certificate. (4) State Registered Nurse. ERRATA Page 5. Council Members serving on other Committees at 31st December 1959. Paddington and St. Marylebone District Nursing Association : Alderman Miss C.P.Rabagliati, M.B.E. Paddingtcn Tuberculosis Care Committee : Alderman Miss C.P.Rabagliati, M.B.E. Councillor W.Dow Councillor F.H.Harris Councillor A.W.Miller Councillor G.J.O' Connell Councillor Mrs.J.Silverman 7 VITAL STATISTICS Area of Borough (including 20 acres of waterways) 1,356 acres Rateable Value £2,527,410 (£2,425,469) Product of a penny rate (net) £10,420 (£9,700) Population (Registrar General's midyear home population) 113,400 (115,700) Number of dwellings (according to the Rate Books) 31,839 (31,823) Live Births Number 2,288 (2,334) Rate per 1,000 population 20.18 (20.17) Illegitimate Live Births per cent. of total live births 18 (18) Still Births Number 44 (51) Rate per 1,000 total live and stillbirths 19 (21) Total Live and Still Births 2,332 (2,385) Infant Deaths (deaths under one year) 51 (51) Infant Mortality Rates Total infant deaths per 1,000 total live births 22 (22) Legitimate infant deaths per 1,000 legitimate live births 22 (20) Illegitimate infant deaths per 1,000 illegitimate live births 24 (29) Neo-natal Mortality Rate (deaths under four weeks per 1,000 total live births) 17 (19) Early Neo-natal Mortality Rate (deaths under one week per 1,000 total live births) 15 (16) Perinatal Mortality Rate (still births and deaths under one week combined per 1,000 total live and still births) 33 (37) Maternal Mortality (including abortion) Number of deaths 2(3) Rate per 1,000 total live and still births 0.9 (1.3) Deaths from all causes 1,227 (1,335) Borough death rate (deaths per 1,000 population) 10.82 (11.54) Comparability factors—Births 0.80 (0.80) Deaths 1.03 (1.05) England and Wales—Birth rate 16.5 (16.4) Death rate 11.6(11.7) 8 Live births Males Total Legitimate Illegitimate 1,167(1,254) 972 (1,035) 195 (219) Females 1,121 (1,080) 895 (880) 226 (200) Still births Males 21 (21) 14 (16) 7 (5) Females 23 (30) 14 (22) 9 (8) Deaths of infants under one year of age Males 31 (27) 26 (21) 5 (6) Females 20 (24) 15 (18) 5 (6) Deaths of infants under four weeks of age Males 25 (25) 20 (19) 5 (6) Females 15 (20) 10 (15) 5 (5) Deaths of infants under one week of age Males 22 (19) 18 (16) 4 (3) Females 12 (18) 7 (14) 5 (4) The number of marriages solemnised in the Borough during the year was 1,434 (1,437). 9 Summary of Vital Statistics Year Reg. General's Estimate of Population Live Births Deaths Deaths under One Year Deaths under Four Weeks Still Births Number * Rate † Number * Rate † Number * Rate § Number * Rate § Number * Rate ‡ 1901 143,976 3359 23.29 2163 15.00 455 135 146 43 / No reco rd 1911 142,541 2977 20.88 1885 13.22 388 129 104 35 1921 145,600 2859 19.63 1758 12.06 265 92 104 36 80 27 1931 140,300 2075 14.79 1831 13.05 182 87 67 32 82 38 1938 137,400 1888 13.74 1557 11.33 125 66 43 23 74 38 1939 135.300 1812 13.39 1608 12.74 106 60 49 27 53 28 1940 97,860 1556 15.90 1766 18.04 88 59 43 28 57 35 1941 77,640 1217 15.67 1418 18.26 64 60 36 30 44 35 1942 83,640 1397 16.70 1268 15.16 78 56 47 34 47 33 1943 90,580 1569 17.32 1390 15.32 107 68 41 26 40 25 1944 93,030 1639 17.62 1388 14.92 100 61 38 23 49 29 1945 99,790 1712 17.16 1367 13.69 104 61 68 40 49 28 1946 117,670 2386 20.28 1525 12.96 113 47 76 32 59 24 1947 127,450 2520 19.77 1567 12.29 109 43 58 23 57 22 1948 128,100 2353 18.37 1381 10.78 85 36 43 18 50 21 1949 130,640 2243 17.17 1489 11.39 58 26 42 19 47 21 1950 130,600 2156 16.51 1397 10.70 62 29 40 19 41 19 1951 125,400 2155 17.19 1519 12.11 61 28 40 19 52 24 1952 124,800 2078 16.65 1450 11.62 56 27 38 18 46 22 1953 123,800 2107 17.02 1563 12.63 50 24 36 17 36 17 1954 123,100 2147 17.44 1190 9.67 37 17 31 14 38 17 1955 121,500 2119 17.44 1306 10.75 52 25 34 16 42 19 1956 121,200 2275 18.77 1262 10.41 55 24 43 19 32 14 1957 120,500 2261 18.76 1205 10.00 54 24 44 19 43 19 1958 115,700 2334 20.17 1335 11.54 51 22 45 19 51 21 1959 113,400 2288 20.18 1227 10.82 51 22 40 17 44 19 † Per 1,000 population. § Per 1,000 live births. * Corrected figures after allowing for inward and outward transfers. ‡ Per 1,000 (live and still) births. 10 DEATHS In the following table the deaths are classified according to the Abridged List of the International Manual of Causes of Death. Causes of Death Sex All Ages 0— 1— 5— 15— 25— 45— 65— ALL Causes M. 621 31 4 2 8 51 208 169 148 F. 606 20 1 1 3 31 149 116 285 Tuberculosis, respiratory M. 6 - - - - - 4 2 F. 5 — — — — 2 — 1 2 Tuberculosis, other forms M. - - - - - - - - - F. 2 — — — — — 2 — — Syphilitic diseases M. 2 - - - - - - 1 1 F. - - - - - - - - - Diphtheria M. - - - - - - - - - F. - - - - - - - - - Whooping Cough M. - - - - - - - - - F. - - - - - - - - - Meningococcal infections M. - - - - - - - - - F. - - - - - - - - - Acute Poliomyelitis M. - - - - - - - - - F. - - - - - - - - - Measles M. - - - - - - - - - F. - - - - - - - - - Other infective and parasitic diseases M. 3 1 2 F. 2 — — — — 2 — — — Malignant neoplasm of stomach M. 16 - - - - - 7 6 3 F. 8 — — — — 2 2 2 2 Malignant neoplasm of lung, bronchus M. 63 2 31 25 5 F. 15 - - - - - 9 2 4 Malignant neoplasm of breast M. - - - - - - - - - F. 31 — — — — 3 17 3 8 Malignant neoplasm of uterus M. - - - - - - - - - F. 21 — - — — 1 10 6 4 Other malignant and lymphatic neoplasms M. 48 1 2 15 19 11 F. 75 — — — — 2 28 13 32 Leukaemia, aleukaemia M. 1 - - - - - - - 1 F. 3 — 1 — — — 1 — 1 Diabetes M. 3 2 1 F. 3 - - - - - 1 — 2 Vascular lesions of nervous system M 44 - - - - 4 14 11 15 F. 73 — — — — 1 10 17 45 Coronary disease, angina M. 124 9 46 40 29 F. 88 - - - - - 20 31 37 Hypertension with heart disease M. 2 - - - - - 1 1 F. 13 - - - - - 1 4 8 11 Deaths—(contd.) Causes of Death Sex All Ages 0— 1— 5— 15— 25— 45— 65— 75— Other heart diseases M 32 2 10 5 15 F. 51 - — - — 3 4 9 35 Other circulatory diseases M 36 1 4 10 14 7 F. 30 - — - — 1 8 5 16 Influenza M 4 - 1 1 1 1 F. 3 - - - - - 2 — 1 Pneumonia M. 36 4 — - 1 7 11 13 F. 37 1 — - — — 2 4 30 Bronchitis M. 59 2 — - — — 17 18 22 F. 28 - - - - - 6 4 18 Other diseases of the respiratory system M. 4 - - - - - 1 — 3 F. 3 — — 1 — — — — 2 Ulcer of stomach and duodenum M. 13 - - - - - 7 1 5 F. 13 - - - - - 3 1 9 Gastritis, enteritis and diarrhoea M. 2 - - - - - - - 2 F. 5 - - - - - 2 — i Nephritis and nephrosis M. 2 — - 1 — 1 — — F. 2 - - - - - - - 2 Hyperplasia of the prostate M. 8 - - - - - 1 1 6 F. - - - - - - - - - Pregnancy, childbirth and abortion M - - - - - - - - - F. 2 — — - 1 1 — — — Congenital malformations M. 10 6 2 - — 1 1 — — F. 9 7 — - — — 2 — — Other diseases M. 51 17 1 5 14 9 5 F. 45 12 — - — 2 9 8 14 Motor vehicle accidents M. 7 — - 3 2 2 — — F. 6 — — - 1 — 3 1 1 Other accidents M 21 1 1 2 6 6 2 3 F. 21 — — - — 4 3 5 9 Suicide M. 22 — - 10 9 2 1 F. 10 — — - — 7 3 — — Homicide and operations of war M. 2 1 1 - - - - - - F. 2 - - - 1 - 1 - - 12 SUICIDES IN THE BOROUGH OF PADDINGTON In previous years Councillors have expressed their concern at the high number of deaths from suicide which occur each year in the Borough. An attempt has been made in the following tables to analyse these figures. Nevertheless it must at once be pointed out that, although a period of five years has been taken, the population under review is small and the figures therefore are subject to considerable variation. The points of interest which would appear to emerge include:— 1. Over the five years nearly twice as many males as females died by suicide. 2. Only 43 per cent. of the females committing suicide were married (cf. 54 per cent. of females over 15 years are married). 3. The age group 25-44 years was responsible for no less than 73 deaths by suicide over the five years. 4. Coal gas poisoning was by far the most common means of suicide. 5. The wards responsible for most of the suicides were Lancaster Gate, Maida Vale and Hyde Park, whilst in reverse Queen's Park, Town and Readings were least affected. In this context alone it is encouraging to report the passing of the Mental Health Act, 1959, which is " to make fresh provision with respect to the treatment and care of mentally disordered persons." Totals for the Five Years 1955 to 1959 Year Male Female Total 1955 18 8 26 1956 15 11 26 1957 27 14 41 1958 22 20 42 1959 22 10 32 Totals 104 63 167 Marital State of Females State Number 1955-1959 Percentage 1955-1959 Percentage 1951 census Married 27 43% 54% Spinster 22 35% 27% Widowed 11 17.5% 16% 3% Divorcee 3 4.5% The marital state of males is not shown on the RegistrarGeneral's returns. 13 Age Groups Age group 15—24 25—44 45-64 65—74 Over 75 1955 M. — 5 9 3 1 F. 1 2 3 2 — 1956 M. 4 4 4 2 1 F. — 4 5 1 1 1957 M. 2 12 9 1 3 F. — 7 5 2 — 1958 M. — 13 7 1 1 F. — 9 7 4 - 1959 M. — 10 9 2 1 F. — 7 3 — - Total M. 6 44 38 9 7 F. 1 29 23 9 1 Total— Both sexes 7 73 61 18 8 Analysis of Methods: 1955-1959 Method Male Female Total Coal gas poisoning 42 27 69 Other poisoning 34 24 58 Jumping from a height 8 4 12 Drowning 4 4 8 Hanging 4 1 5 Knife wounds 2 3 5 Fall under train 7 — 7 Strangulation 1 — 1 Gun shot 2 — 2 14 Analysis by Wards Ward 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 Total Total— both sexes M. F. M. F. M. F. M. F. M. F. M. F. Queen's Park — — . — — — — — — 2 — 2 — 2 Harrow Road North — 1 1 — 1 1 1 — 1 — 4 2 6 Harrow Road South — — 1 — 4 4 2 — 2 — 9 4 13 Maida Vale North — — 1 — 4 — 1 3 3 2 9 5 14 Maida Vale South 2 2 1 5 1 1 3 3 3 1 10 12 22 Town — — — — — 3 — 1 — — 4 4 Readings 2 — — — 2 1 1 — — — 5 1 6 Church 4 — 1 — 2 2 4 1 — 11 3 14 Westbourne 5 1 — 1 3 — 3 4 1 2 12 8 20 Lancaster Gate West 2 — 3 3 2 1 3 3 3 4 13 11 24 Lancaster Gate East 2 1 3 — 5 1 2 2 3 - 15 4 19 Hyde Park 1 2 3 2 3 - 2 3 3 1 12 8 20 No fixed abode — 1 1 - - — - - 1 - 2 1 3 15 INFECTIOUS DISEASE Notifications.—Following is a table showing the numbers of cases of infectious disease notified. The number of cases after allowing for corrections of diagnosis is shown in brackets. Disease 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 Acute encephalitis (infective) 1 (1) - (—) - (—) - (—) - (—) Acute encephalitis (post infectious) — (-) 1 (1) — (—) 1 (1) - (—) Acute pneumonia (influenzal) 12 (12) 12 (12) 23 (23) 14 (14) 23 (23) Acute pneumonia (primary) 39 (39) 31 (31) 32 (32) 22 (22) 14 (14) Acute poliomyelitis (paralytic) 14 (12) 6 (3) 3 (2) 5 (5) 7 (3) Acute poliomyelitis (non-paralytic) 14 (14) 6 (6) 5 (2) 3 (-) 2 (1) Diphtheria — (—) — (—) — (—) — (—) 1 (—) Dysentery 31 (29) 86 (86) 33 (33) 41 (41) 25 (25) Erysipelas 14 (14) 5 (5) 7 (7) 8 (8) 2 (2) Food poisoning or suspected food poisoning 69 (69) 52 (51) 55 (55) 105 (105) 88 (87) Infective enteritis 68 (68) 18 (18) 11 (11) 15 (15) 13 (13) Malaria — (—) 2 (2) — (—) — (—) 1 (1) Measles 1,596 (1,596) 340 (339) 1,204 (1,203) 802 (802) 388 (388) Meningococcal infection 11 (10) 7 (7) 3 (2) — (—) 1 (1) Ophthalmia neonatorum 6 (6) 3 (3) 5 (5) 4 (4) 1 (1) Paratyphoid fever 1 (1) — (-) — (—) 1 (1) — (-) Puerperal pyrexia 137 (137) 186 (186) 202 (202) 182 (182) 139 (139) Scabies 42 (42) 35 (35) 30 (30) 33 (33) 22 (22) Scarlet fever 41 (39) 25 (25) 51 (51) 81 (81) 37 (37) Smallpox - (—) — (—) — (—) — (—) — (—) Tuberculosis (respiratory) 177 (177) 220 (220) 195 (195) 155 (155) 149 (149) Tuberculosis (other forms) 18 (18) 22 (22) 15 (15) 16 (16) 16 (15) Typhoid or enteric fever 3 (3) 2 (2) — (—) 1 (1) 2 (2) Whooping cough 120 (119) 102 (102) 93 (93) 96 (96) 49 (49) 16 Tuberculosis.—The ward distribution of the cases of tuberculosis notified during 1959 is as follows:— Ward Pulmonary Non-Pulmonary Total Males Females Males Females Queen's Park 6 3 1 1 11 Harrow Road North 15 8 — 1 24 Harrow Road South 6 9 — — 15 Maida Vale North 4 3 — 1 8 Maida Vale South 8 2 2 2 14 Town 2 1 — 1 4 Readings 6 5 — 1 12 Church 5 2 1 — 8 Westbourne 20 9 1 — 30 Lancaster Gate West 8 8 1 — 17 Lancaster Gate East 6 6 1 — 13 Hyde Park 4 3 1 — 8 Borough 90 59 8 7 164 Bacteriological examinations.—The number of examinations made in connection with infectious disease was 338 (283). Visiting.—Two Visitors, both of whom are State Registered Nurses, undertake the investigations of cases of infectious disease in addition to their duties in connection with elderly people which are reported under " Care of the Aged." During the year 921 (1,431) visits were made in the course of these investigations. Food poisoning enquiries are made by the female Public Health Inspector. The London County Council's Health Visitors investigate cases of puerperal pyrexia, ophthalmia neonatorum, infective enteritis and tuberculosis. International certificates.—During the year 1,941 (2,038) certificates of inoculation or vaccination were submitted by persons travelling abroad for the authentication of the signature of the medical practitioner concerned. This authentication is required under a World Health Organisation agreement. VENEREAL DISEASE Venereal diseases are not notifiable to the local health authority so that no precise information is available as to the number of cases occurring in the borough. However, the Ministry of Health during the year under review addressed a circular to local authorities, drawing attention to the increasing incidence of gonorrhoea. Previously, the Director of St. Mary's Hospital clinic drew attention to the steep increase of new cases of gonorrhoea attending his clinic in Paddington. It is considered that a relatively small group of promiscuous women constitute a most important factor in spreading the disease. The London County Council under their powers from Section 28 of the National Health Service Act, 1946, have appointed officers whose duty it is to trace contacts and persuade them voluntarily to undergo medical examination and, if necessary, receive treatment. 17 VACCINATION AND IMMUNISATION.—The following figures relating to inoculations carried out during the year among Paddington residents have been supplied by the Divisional Medical Officer of the London County Council. By London County Council By General Practitioners Total smallpox Primary vaccination (a) Children 1,132 168 1,300 (b) Adults 25 1 26 Re-vaccination (a) Children 7 7 14 (b) Adults 30 76 106 poliomyelitis (a) Children (i) Primary course 2,837 1,314 4,151 (ii) Third injection 3,796 1,330 5,126 (b) Adults (i) Primary course 2,145 1,888 4,033 (ii) Third injection 375 696 1,071 diphtheria only (a) Primary course 80 11 91 (b) Reinforcing injections 159 20 179 combined diphtheria/pertussis (a) Primary course 666 49 715 (b) Reinforcing injections — 12 12 triple antigen (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus) (a) Primary course 575 93 668 (b) Reinforcing injections — 19 19 PUBLIC HEALTH INSPECTORS' WORK.—Following is a summary of the work of the male Public Health Inspectors, excluding work in connection with factories. Dwelling houses inspected:— Premises inspected as a result of complaints.. 3,260 (3,256) Premises inspected in house to house visits .. 1 (105) Premises inspected for action under the Housing Act (Sec. 9) 12 (52) Premises inspected in connection with Certificates of Disrepair 71 (167) Premises inspected in connection with improvement grants 33 (10) Premises inspected in connection with making of Closing Orders 418 (656) Premises inspected other than those noted above 598 (913) Notices served:— Intimation notices under the Public Health (London) Act, 1936 694 (926) Statutory notices under the Public Health (London) Act, 1936 235 (326) Notices under the London County Council or Paddington Borough Council bye-laws .. 166 (169) 18 Notices under the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1954.. 55 (41) Notices under the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1955.. 3 (4) Notices under the Clean Air Act, 1956 4 (-) Visits made in connection with:— Aged persons 15 (50) Bakehouses 152 (96) Basement occupation checks 175 (249) Canal boats 21 (-) Clean Air Act 1,214 (969) Dwelling houses 18,514 (19,215) Fireguards Act — (3) Hairdressers' establishments 81 (50) Infectious disease 15 (9) Miscellaneous calls 130 (148) Outworkers — (8) Overcrowding 241 (378) Rodent control 192 (112) Pet Animals Act 11 (21) Rag and bone stores 1 (-) Rag Flock Act 8 (5) Rehousing applications 166 (123) Shops 18 (11) Smoke observations 83 (39) Town Planning 121 (112) Vermin investigations 487 (373) The male Public Health Inspectors investigate smallpox contacts; for other diseases see "Infectious Disease." The female Public Health Inspector normally deals with outworkers. The provisions of the Shops Acts enforced by the Borough Council are dealt with by the Chief Food Inspector and the female Public Health Inspector. MEDICINAL BATHS AND DISINFECTING STATION.—The tables below give a summary of the work done at the Medicinal Baths and by the Disinfecting and Disinfesting Operatives. Disinfestation:— Rooms treated for vermin 906 (752) Articles disinfested 1,107 (1,653) Disinfection:— Rooms disinfected after infectious disease .. 96 (120) Library books disinfected 334 (576) Articles of clothing, etc., disinfected 544 (559) Scabies:— Number of adults treated 37 (126) Number of children treated 19 (29) Number of treatments given 108 (292) 19 Vermin:— Heads Bodies Number of adults treated 10 (19) 24 (41) Number of children treated - (5) - (2) The medicinal baths staff also deal with the laundry and home bathing of old people which is reported under " Aged and Infirm Persons." RODENT CONTROL.—The following table gives details of the work carried out under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949, during the year 1959. Dwelling Houses All other property Total Total number of properties in district 31,839 (31,823) 7,452 (7,651) 39,291 (39,474) Number of properties inspected as a result of— (a) Notifications 457 (463) 84 (102) 541 (565) (b) Otherwise 174 (181) 2 (1) 176 (182) Number of properties found to be infested by rats— (a) Major infestation — (—) — (—) — (-) (b) Minor infestation 241 (271) 33 (48) 274 (319) Number of properties found to be infested by mice 220 (231) 49 (50) 269 (281) Number of infested properties treated by Council 461 (502) 82 (98) 543 (600) It was not found necessary to serve any notices. Three " block control "schemes were carried out during the year and the sewers were treated twice. The Council were informed that rodent control grants from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food would cease on expenditure incurred after the 31st March, 1959. In conveying this decision the Ministry expressed the conviction that local authorities would maintain and improve their standard of control. Information on up-to-date methods and advice and instruction courses are still available from the Ministry's officers. FOOD SUPERVISION Unsound food.—Approximately 9 (13½) tons of diseased or unsound food was seized or surrendered for destruction. Diseased meat is incinerated, and other condemned food disposed of through the normal refuse channels. Registrations.—The following registrations were in force at the end of the year under the Milk and Dairies Regulations or the Food and Drugs Act:— Distributors of milk 142 (141) Dairies 1 (1) Ice Cream premises 216 (207) Food premises 63 (67) Licences.—Licences to sell designated milk in force at the end of the year are given below:— 20 Dealers' Principal Licences Pasteurised 118 (111) Sterilised 119 (121) Tuberculin tested 94 (87) Dealers' Supplementary Licences Pasteurised 24 (25) Sterilised 27 (28) Tuberculin tested 23 (24) Inspections.—During the year the two Food Inspectors paid 1,110 (1,227) visits to restaurants and cafes and 2,659 (3,789) visits to other food shops. Food premises.—Following are details of the food pn the Borough at the end of the year:— Bakers 13 (15) Cake shops 22 (21) Butchers 59 (60) Confectioners 141 (142) Chemists 42 (43) Fishmongers 17 (19) Fried fish shops 13 (11) Grocers 42 (40) General shops 26 (26) Provision stores 116 (128) Domestic stores 19 (21) Corn chandlers 3 (3) Greengrocers 78 (81) Public Houses 103 (103) Cider houses 1 (1) Off licences 55 (57) Restaurants and cafes 139 (140) Canteens.—There are approximately 31 canteens of various sizes in the Borough. Wholesale food stores.—There are 15 (15) wholesale food stores in the Borough. Food factories.—There are 11 (12) food factories in the Borough including 2 (2) ice cream factories. Bacteriological examinations.—Twenty-four ice cream samples were graded as follows:— Grade 1 14 Grade 2 9 Grade 3 — Grade 4 1 Ninety-five (94) samples of milk were submitted and all conformed to the standards required. Sampling.—During the year 600 (600) samples were submitted to the Public Analyst for examination. Two prosecutions were instituted in respect of samples as reported under "Legal Proceedings." The Report of the Public Analyst will be found as an appendix. Food Hygiene Regulations.—During 1959 the inspection of food premises was carried out in connection with the Food Hygiene Regulations. In a number of premises some of the requirements of 21 the Regulations were not being observed, but in no case was legal action found to be necessary. Street Traders.—The Council have licenced 6 (6) coffee stalls, 21 (24) fruit and vegetable stalls, and 2 (2) ice cream stalls. The majority of street traders in Paddington are sited off the Harrow Road. So far as is practicable the relevant provisions of the Food Hygiene Regulations, 1955 are complied with. Fruit and vegetable stalls form the largest number. These do not present the same problem as fish stalls and the like, but nevertheless the Chief Food Inspector keeps these stalls under periodical observation to ensure that the stall holders maintain a good standard of cleanliness and hygiene. RENT ACT, 1957.—Below is a table showing details of the applications during 1959 for certificates of disrepair under this Act together with the action taken thereon. Applications for certificates of disrepair— No. of applications for certificates 21 (71) No of decisions not to issue certificates 4(10) No of decisions to issue certificates- fa) in respect of some but not all defects 11 (52) (b) in respect of all defects 7(11) No. of undertakings given by landlords under paragraph 5 of the First Schedule 8(24) No. of undertakings refused by Council under proviso to paragraph 5 of the First Schedule -(-) No of certificates issued 10 (44) No. of applications awaiting report at end of year - (1) Applications for cancellation of certificates— Applications by landlords for cancellation of certificates 23 (37) Objections by tenants to cancellation of certificates 8(17) Decisions by Council to cancel in spite of tenants' objections 2 (2) Certificates cancelled by Council 17 (21) No. of applications awaiting report at end of year 1 (1) PROTECTIVE HELMETS.—During the year three specimen helmets were tested for the Council by the British Standards Institution and all met the test requirements of B.S. 2001: 1956 which is acceptable under the Motor Cyclists (Protective Helmets) Regulations, 1947. HAIRDRESSERS AND BARBERS.—There are 87 (87) hairdressers and barbers establishments in the Borough registered under the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1954. SHOPS ACTS.—The Shops Acts Inspectors made 1,361 (1,808) inspections during the year. No statutory action was necessary, any contraventions found being dealt with informally. BAKEHOUSES.—At the end of the year there were 13 (15) level bakehouses and 1 (2) underground bakehouse in operation. The quinquennial examination of basement bakehouses required by Section 54 of the Factories Act, 1937, was made during 1959. 22 Only two such bakehouses were in use. The existing Certificate of Suitability was continued in operation for a further five years in one case. In the other, notice was given that the Certificate would cease to have effect and the bakehouse is now closed. COMMON LODGING HOUSES.—There is one common lodging house in the Borough which provides sixty-nine beds for women. WATER SUPPLY.—All drinking water in the Borough is supplied from the Metropolitan Water Board's mains and has been satisfactory. E. Windle Taylor, M.A., M.D., D.P.H., the Director of Water Examination of the Metropolitan Water Board has kindly supplied the following information and figures:— "The water supply to your Borough has been of satisfactory hygienic quality and adequate in quantity during the year 1959. It is derived from the non-tidal portion of the river Thames, stored in the Board's reservoirs at Staines and Littleton and filtered and chlorinated at the Board's works at Ashford Common and Barn Elms. The Board's waters are not plumbo-solvent. Samples are collected at each stage of the purification process and in the distribution system daily and immediate action is taken in respect of any form of contamination or of any variation in quality. All repaired mains are disinfected with chlorine before being returned to service. Preliminary calculations indicate that the average consumption for the whole of the Board's area during 1959 was three hundred and fifty-one million gallons daily". Chemical Examination (Average Results) Source of supply • Ashford Common Barn Elms Number of samples 52 43 Ammonia nitrogen 0.050 0.023 Albuminoid nitrogen 0.084 0.072 Oxidised nitrogen (Nitrate) 3.4 3.4 Chlorides as CI 28 27 Oxygen abstracted from permanganate (four hours at 27°C.) 1.08 0.92 Turbidity in terms of silica 0.6 0.3 Colour—mm. brown two foot tube Burgess's Tintometer 10 9 Hardness (total) 252 244 Hardness (Non-carbonate) 54 52 pH value 7.9 7.8 Phosphate as P04 0.90 0.95 Silicate as Si02 10 9 Sulphate as S04 54 54 Fluoride as F 0.2 0.2 Magnesium as Mg 4.0 4.0 Electrical conductivity— (gemmhos) 525 525 The figures are given as milligrammes per litre unless otherwise stated 23 Bacteriological Results (After Treatment) Source of supply Ashford Common Barn Elms Number of samples 257 516 Agar plate count per ml. (20-24 hours at 37°C.) 18.0 5.3 Coliform count—per cent, samples negative in 100 ml. 100.0 99.03 E. coli count—per cent, samples negative in 100 ml. 100.0 100.0 OUTWORKERS.—Under Section 110 of the Factories Act, 1937, firms employing outworkers have to notify (in February and August each year) the names and addresses of any persons so employed to their District Council (the Metropolitan Boroughs in London). Any addresses found to be outside the Borough are transmitted to the Medical Officer of Health of the borough concerned and, in the same way, we receive the addresses of persons employed by firms situated outside this Borough. The female Public Health Inspector visits all notified outworkers to ensure that the premises are suitable for the type of work carried out. During the year she made 100 (162) visits to the premises of outworkers and all the premises used were found to be satisfactory. A return of the August notifications is required by the Ministry of Labour. A copy of the current return appears as an annex to this Report. FACTORIES.—Details of the work in connection with factories will be found as an annex to this Report. RAG FLOCK ACT.—Four (five) premises where filling material is used were on the register at the end of the year. There are no premises in the Borough where rag flock is manufactured or stored. Two samples were taken during the year, both being reported as satisfactory. PHARMACY AND POISONS ACTS.—At the end of the year the register contained the names of 94 (102) persons entitled to sell the poisons scheduled in Part II of the Poisons List. DRAINAGE RECONSTRUCTION PLANS.—During the year 272 (268) plans were deposited for drainage work in existing buildings. Prosecutions relating to drainage work are reported under " Legal Proceedings." BURIALS.—During the year 58 (47) burials and 2 (8) cremations were arranged under the National Assistance Act, 1948. MORTUARY.—Paddington bodies are now taken to the St. Pancras Borough Council mortuary when private arrangements are not made. During the year 209 bodies were taken there and 206 post mortem examinations were carried out. PET ANIMALS ACT.—Four (five) applications for licences were made and granted. All the applicants had held licences previously. 24 LEGAL PROCEEDINGS Offence Result of Hearing Fine Costs 86, Portnall Road— Nuisance—Dampness in ground floor kitchen — £2 2s. Order to abate in 28 days. 13, Clarendon Crescent— Defective first half-landing water closet £1 £2 2s. 6, Westbourne Park Crescent— Nuisance—Damp and defective wall and ceiling plaster £2 2s. Order to abate in 28 days. 56, Chippenham Road— Defective ceiling plaster £2 2s. Order to abate in 14 days. 79, Sutherland Avenue— Nuisance—dampness £2 2s. Order to abate in 28 days. 26, Walterton Road— Nuisance—general defects £2 2s. Order to abate in 28 days. 39, Lydford Road— Nuisance—general defects £2 2s. Order to abate in 28 days. 19, Errington Road— Nuisance—general defects £2 2s. Order to abate in 21 days. 248, Shirland Road— Nuisance—general defects £2 2s. Order to abate in 21 days. Unclean milk bottle. Milk and Dairies Regulations, 1949 £2 2s. Absolute discharge. Criminal Justice Act, 1948. 28, Bridstow Place— Nuisance—general defects £2 2s. Order to abate in 28 days. 84, Chepstow Road— Main roof not water-tight — £2 2s. Order to abate in 28 days. 56, Chippenham Road— Non-compliance with Justices' Order to Abate £5 £2 2s. 5c, Westbourne Gardens— Defective main roof at No. 3, Westbourne Gardens causing dampness at No. 5c £2 2s. Order to abate in 28 days. 173, Bravington Road— (i) Nuisance—General defects £1 Is. Order to abate in 21 days. (ii) Defective water closet £2 £1 Is. 25 Legal Proceedings—(contd.) Offence Result of Hearing Fine Costs 14, Beethoven Street— Non-compliance with Justices' Order to Abate £5 £1 Is. 14, Beethoven Street— Defective paving £2 £1 Is. 19, Errington Road— Non-compliance with Justices' Order to Abate £4 £2 2s. 248, Shirland Road— Non-compliance with Justices' Order to Abate £4 £2 2s. 13, Craven Road— Non-submission of plans, and drainage work not in accordance with byelaws (4 summonses) £10 £2 2s. Sale of dried mixed fruit not of quality demanded. Food and Drugs Act, 1955. £1 £1 Is. Unclean milk bottle, Milk and Dairies Regulations, 1949 £2 £2 2s. 690, Harrow Road— Nuisance—smoke from bakehouse chimney Order to abate in 91 days. 56, Chippenham Road— Non-compliance with Order to Abate £7 £1 Is. 56, Chippenham Road— Continued non-compliance with Order to Abate £5 £1 Is. 52, Chepstow Road— Failure to state interest in property £2 £1 Is. 84, Chepstow Road— Non-compliance with Order to Abate £5 12s. 6d. £2 2s. 36, Senior Street— Nuisance—general defects Premises taken over by L.C.C. 14, Woodfield Place— Nuisance—defective window woodwork and broken sash-cords £1 Is. Order to abate in 28 days. 70, Sutherland Avenue— Non-submission of plans, etc., drainage work £1 Is. Conditional discharge 12 months. Cigarette in loaf—Food and Drugs Act, 1955, Section 2 £2 £3 3s. 40, St. Stephen's Gardens— (i) Nuisance—general defects Order to abate in 91 days. (ii) Defective waste and rain pipes (iii) Artificial lighting Work done—withdrawn, do. 26 Legal Proceedings—(contd.) Offence Result of Hearing Fine Costs 56, Alfred Road— Contravention of Closing Orders— (i) Ground floor front room £2 £3 3s. (ii) Ground floor back room £2 (iii) Ground floor back addition room £2 Dirty milk bottle Milk & Dairies Regulations, 1949 £5 £2 2s. 56, Sutherland Avenue— Defective water closet £1 £1 Is. 2, Amber ley Road— Nuisance—general defects — £1 Is. Order to abate in 28 days. 53, St. Stephen's Gardens— Nuisance—defective window glazing, etc. — £2 2s. Order to abate in 28 days. 84, Chepstow Road— Nuisance—dampness £2 2s. Order to abate in 14 days. Vere Mansions, 2, Westbourne Gardens— Defective main drain, etc. £7 £2 2s. 84, Chepstow Road— Continued non-compliance with Order to Abate £15 £1 Is. 5c, Westbourne Gardens— Non-compliance with Order to Abate £10 £2 2s. In addition to the above, 29 (15) summonses were withdrawn as the work was done before a hearing was reached, and £23.2.0 (£16.5.0) in settlement agreed out of Court. HOUSING Housing Act, 1957—Overcrowding (a) (1) Number of dwellings overcrowded at the end of the year 173 (210) (2) Number of families dwelling therein .. 179 (214) (3) Number of persons dwelling therein .. 780J (932A) (Units) (b) Number of new cases of overcrowding reported during the year 23 (54) (c)(1) Number of cases of overcrowding relieved during the year 60 (81) (2) Number of persons concerned in such cases 258½ (317) (Units) (d) Particulars of any cases in which dwelling houses have again become overcrowded 27 after the Local Authority have taken steps for the abatement of overcrowding .. Nil The number of overcrowded dwellings on the Register of Overcrowding at the end of 1959 was 173. This shows a decrease of 37 on the figure for 1958 (210). There were 55 basement dwellings on the Register. Of the cases of overcrowding relieved during the year 16 (28) were rehoused by the London County Council, 2 (—) were provided with accommodation by the Borough Council, 28 (40) secured accommodation privately and 14 (13) were relieved by a natural reduction in the size of the family or on obtaining additional accommodation. The practice of sending warning letters to owners and landlords against permitting the premises to become again overcrowded has been continued in all known cases where overcrowding of premises has been abated. Section 80 of the Housing Act, 1957, gives a local authority power, where they are satisfied that exceptional circumstances exist which make it expedient to do so, to allow the temporary use of a house by persons in excess of the permitted number. During the year, the Council issued no (1) licences under this section of the Act. During the year, a total of 550 (580) Paddington families were rehoused by the London County Council. Town Planning. One hundred and ninety (184) applications to the London County Council under the Town and Country Planning Acts for the conversion and alteration of premises, change of user or continuation of consent were referred to the Council for examination and comment. Housing Enquiries. Some 19 (22) communications were received during the year from other authorities, requesting information on the housing conditions of persons applying for rehousing on grounds of overcrowding, insanitary conditions or ill-health. Such information enables the enquirer to assess the degree of priority to be given to the applicants concerned. In each case a visit was made by the Public Health Inspector and a report furnished. Houses Unfit for Human Habitation. No. of basement rooms dealt with by closing orders 312 (1,300) No. of upper rooms closed 24 (110) No. of mews premises closed 2 (16) No. of houses dealt with by closing orders in lieu of demolition orders (—) No. of houses dealt with by demolition orders or in respect of which undertakings were accepted .. (-) Sixty-five (136) persons were displaced as a result of the Council's operations. Closing Orders were determined or undertakings cancelled on 79 (55) basement rooms. Fifty-two (58) other basement rooms were made fit without recourse to formal proceedings. 28 Of the 312 basement rooms, 24 upper rooms and 2 mews premises closed, 195 basement rooms and 24 upper rooms were in premises de-requisitioned by the Council under the Requisitioned Houses and Housing (Amendment) Act, 1955. During the time that the rooms were under the Council's control they were considered to be unfit for housing purposes and were not used for that purpose. The Closing Orders were made to ensure that the position was maintained. New accommodation. During the year the Council completed forty-six new flats at Hethpool House (36) and Churchfield House (10). Housing Accommodation: Preferential Treatment. During the year 218 (216) medical certificates were referred to me by the Borough Director of Housing for " pointing." Points are awarded for certified ill-health, and if the applicant's health is affected by his living conditions the Public Health Inspector investigates the adverse conditions and in many instances is able to get them remedied. Land Charges Act, 1925. This Act provides for the maintenance of a Register of Local Land Charges in which are registered statutory charges including closing and demolition orders made by the Council under the Housing Acts. Solicitors and others making a search in this Register almost invariably submit supplementary questions about various matters of concern to the Public Health Department. These include slum clearance areas, statutory notices under the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, and the Housing Acts, certificates of disrepair under the Rent Act, 1957, and the implementation of the provisions of the Clean Air Act, 1956, in the Borough. Some 2,190 (1,769) enquiries on these matters received the attention of the Department during the year. ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION Measurement of pollution.—The results obtained from the recording apparatus at the Welfare Centre, 283a, Harrow Road, during 1959 are given below. Month Rainfall in mms. Insoluble deposits in tons per square mile Soluble deposits in tons per square mile S.03 in mgs. per day per 100 square cms. January 59 (52) 19.26(17.24) 22.64(13.35) 6.75 (4.80) February 3 (57) 10.33 (16.16) 7.58 (10.94) 5.37 (4.65) March 40 (26) 14.28 (13.76) 10.57 (9.09) 3.54 (3.64) April 60 (38) 13.39(10.20) 9.09 (8.28) 2.82 (3.02) May 23 (53) 9.06 (9.13) 7.05 (7.49) 1.79 (1.64) June 15 (113) 9.26 (8.96) 11.07 (9.09) 1.39(1.79) July 33 (48) 9.66 (9.33) 5.90 (7.38) 1.33 (1.85) August 46 (67) 7.18(14.16) 6.44(11.24) 1.33 (2.03) September 3 (103) 5.80 (14.96) 5.80(11.91) 1.89 (3.01) October 44 (64) 15.94(12.72) 10.13 (9.85) 3.09 (3.46) November 58 (47) 15.88 (13.22) 13.26 (11.47) 3.73 (5.28) December 86 (75) 20.96(14.62) 10.97(12.55) 3.22 (5.34) 29 The figures for sulphur deposits given in the last column are based on the weights of sulphur collected on a lead peroxide "candle" exposed in a louvred box. The "candle" is changed once a month and the results are given as a daily average deposit in milligrammes per 100 sq. cm. of standard lead peroxide. As the test does not operate on a measured volume of air it will be appreciated that the results do not indicate an absolute amount of sulphur deposit in the atmosphere but use an empirical unit for comparison purposes. The following results were obtained from the recording apparatus at the Public Health offices at 15, Park Place Villas during 1959. Smoke Cone. mg. per 100 m3 so2 Cone. p.p. 100 m Average value Highest value Lowest value Average value Highest value Lowest value January 67 (37) 176 (100) 3(14) 21 (13) 88 (44) 6 (5) February 39 (29) 163 (66) 12(15) 16 (10) 68 (24) 4 (4) March 15 (28) 44 (81) 4(15) 9(13) 24 (25) 4 (5) April 11 (20) 25 (31) 3(14) 7 (8) 22 (18) 1 (3) May 7 (8) 27 (19) 2 (4) 6 (6) 23 (20) 2 (2) June 4 (6) 14 (12) 1 (2) 4 (7) 9(16) 2 (1) July 4 (6) 8 (13) 1 (3) 4 (7) 14 (29) 1 (2) August 5 (6) 11 (13) 2 (2) 4 (5) 13(17) 1 (2) September 8 (8) 19 (19) 4 (4) 6 (8) 17 (26) 1 (3) October 14(13) 22 (36) 8 (4) 11 (7) 24 (15) 4 (2) November 27 (25) 135 (57) 6 (7) 15(19) 53 (35) 5 (2) December 19 (29) 76 (61) 9 (7) 10(14) 30 (30) 4 (7) The term "smoke" is used to denote all fine suspended impurity collected by the test filter, and the figure is expressed as milligrammes per 100 cubic metres. The term sulphur dioxide includes all acid producing gases in the air with the exception of carbon dioxide and is the net acidity of the air calculated as sulphur dioxide. The figure is expressed in " parts per 100 million parts of air," one part of sulphur dioxide per 100 million parts of air being equivalent to approximately 2.86 milligrammes of sulphur dioxide per 100 cubic metres of air. Installation of furnaces.—The installation of industrial furnaces, or domestic furnaces with a heating capacity of 55,000 or more B.T.Us. per hour, must be notified to the Council by virtue of section 3 (3) of the Clean Air Act, 1956. It is not necessary to submit plans or specifications when giving notice. The purpose of notification is solely to enable the local authority to know when and where new furnaces are being installed, and they are not required on receiving notice either to give or to withhold approval. Where however a person chooses to submit plans and specifications under section 3 (2) and they are approved, and where the furnace is subsequently installed in accordance with the approved plans, the furnace is deemed to comply with the requirements of Section 3 (1) of the Act, i.e., to be capable, so far as practicable, of continuous operation without emitting smoke when burning fuel of a type for which it is designed. 30 Since the appointed day for the coming into force of these provisions (31st December, 1956) fifty-four notifications have been received. Approval under section 3 (2) has been given to twentythree applications and withheld in one case where the chimney height was considered to be inadequate in relation to the surrounding buildings. SMOKE CONTROL AREAS.—In 1959, on receipt of a circular from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Council reviewed the progress in making Smoke Control Orders and decided, as requested by the Minister, on a phased programme for the Borough. Ultimately it is anticipated that the whole Borough will form a smokeless zone and in conjunction with the other Metropolitan Boroughs the whole of the County will, by and large, be covered by a series of Smoke Control Orders. Paddington's programme was based on the Wards, each ward forming the basis of an Order with the estimated year of operation as shown below. Date of operation Area Premises Dwellings Acres 1959 Hyde Park Ward (part) .. 2,801 2,658 52 1959 Lancaster Gate East Ward 5,154 4,732 150 1960 Lancaster Gate West Ward 5,542 5,035 120 1961 Westbourne Ward 7,848 7,392 167 1962 Readings Ward 5,549 5,016 106 1963 Harrow Road North Ward 5,817 5,590 98 Harrow Road South Ward 5,999 4,620 83 The Hyde Park No. 1 Order is now in operation and the Lancaster Gate East Order is awaiting confirmation by the Minister. The preliminary survey of the Lancaster Gate West Ward is well advanced, and I have no doubt that subject to any unforeseen circumstances or staff difficulties the programme will proceed on the lines indicated; and the whole Borough will be dealt with by 1968 as planned. Hyde Park No. 1 Smoke Control Order, 1959.—In my Report for 1958 I gave preliminary figures in respect of the proposed Smoke Control Area in the Hyde Park Ward. The Order was subsequently approved by the Minister of Housing and Local Government and came into operation on the 31st October, 1959. Beside the publicity aimed at making the public aware of the requirements of the Order with regard to smoke, letters were sent to individual owners and occupiers of premises where the conversion or adaptation of an appliance was likely to be necessary in order that full advantage could be taken by them of the grant for such work available under the Act. Due to the excellent work of the Clean Air Inspector, Mr. Adams, the conversion and adaptation of appliances proceeded smoothly. A report to the Public Health Committee in March showed that of those appliances to which work had been deemed necessary on survey only forty remained unconverted. Of these, seven were in vacant premises and solid smokeless fuel was being burnt on the remainder. The Council have the power, under Section 12 of the 31 Clean Air Act, 1956, to require by notice adaptations to avoid contraventions of Section 11 of the Act. Bearing in mind however that 1. smoke was not being produced from these premises; 2. to require work against the wishes of the parties concerned for no demonstrable advantage might prejudice public opinion in a field where public relations are very important; and 3. a saving on the estimates in grants payable would be made it was decided that in only two cases (if necessary) would notices be served. Grants to the value of £613 have been made in connection with this Smoke Control Order. Lancaster Gate East Smoke Control Order, 1960.—The preliminary survey of this area was completed in the first half of the year and the Minister's approval for proceeding with the Order was obtained. There are 3,928 domestic dwellings, 239 commercial and other non-domestic premises and 42 industrial premises in the area. The extent and cost of the work required is shown by the following figures from the final survey. No. of new appliances required 373 Cost of new appliances £2,208 10s. Od. Cost of work attributable to installation of new appliances £3,812 7s. 6d. No. of existing appliances to be adapted 26 Cost of adaptation of existing appliances £74 14s. Od. No of gas or electric points to be provided .. 56 Cost of installing the points £369 15s. Od. The above figures include £222 in respect of Borough Council property (16 conversions and 1 adaptation) towards which a grant of four-tenths is made by the Exchequer. In addition, £148 5s. Od. was estimated to be required for twelve fireplaces in a local school. Schools are not eligible for an Exchequer grant but the Council has agreed to bear three-tenths of the cost; owners or occupiers of private dwellings receive a grant of seven-tenths of the approved cost from the Council and the Exchequer refund four-sevenths of this to the Council. The net cost to the Council of the conversions and adaptations in this Area was therefore estimated to be £2,050. The Minister's confirmation of the Order will be sought early in 1960 and the proposed date of operation will be 1st November, 1960. HOUSEBOATS.—In recent years the number of canal boats using Paddington Basin has considerably decreased. There has however been a steady rise in the number of licences issued by the British Waterways Authority for houseboats to use private moorings in the Paddington Basin and the northern approach flanking Blomfield Road. The majority of these houseboats are permanently occupied, and in 1959 consideration was given to the health problems which might be involved. The Public Health Act, 1936 (Section 258) defines a canal boat as ". . . any vessel which is used for the conveyance of goods along a canal," so the Canal Boat Regulations cannot be applied 32 to houseboats. The right of entry to houseboats by a Sanitary Authority for any purpose in connection with the conditions of habitation therein is given by Section 3 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936. The main source of control of houseboats comes from the conditions imposed by the Waterways Authority in the issue of their licences which insist, inter alia, "... that owners of pleasure craft shall dispose of sewage and rubbish in accordance with the local authority's requirements from time to time in force and in a manner satisfactory to the Commission." In April, 1959, thirteen houseboats were licenced in Paddington, and in June seven were inspected by the Canal Boats Inspector (Mr. Ronchetti) and myself. The general standard varies from fair to good. One boat has a mains electricity supply and the boats of lower standard appear to be in the process of improvement. In no instance was there evidence of overcrowding or mixing of the sexes, and the residents appeared to be happy and contented. All have access to a main water supply from stand pipes, and in most cases this has been piped aboard for use with sinks and baths and, in some cases, water closets. The waste water from the sinks and baths and the excreta from water-closets discharges direct into the canal and the contents of Elsan closets are also deposited overboard. There was no visible evidence of contamination or accumulation of rubbish, except for the small amount of normal floating debris which collects round moored boats. This is cleared as and when necessary by a British Waterways workman. The houseboat refuse is kept in dustbins and collected by a British Waterways employee. I was considerably perturbed at the possible danger to health consequent upon the continued discharge into the canal of crude sewage from the houseboats moored in Paddington. Accordingly I arranged a number of meetings with representatives of the British Waterways Authority, and I was given the greatest possible help and co-operation in meeting this problem. The representatives were most anxious to remove this risk without delay, and undertook to construct toilet blocks ashore for the exclusive use of houseboat residents at the moorings. It is anticipated that the new toilet accommodation, with a separate section for the disposal of waste from chemical closets, will be ready for use early in 1960. The British Waterways Authority also instructed the residents of the houseboats to arrange to remove from their craft every type of toilet appliance discharging into the canal immediately after the completion of the new facilities. In practice the present toilet appliances will probably be effectively sealed off whilst the houseboat is moored and chemical closets of an approved pattern installed in the craft, but their contents will be discharged into the appropriate section of the new toilet accommodation and not in the waterway. A number of the residents are cultivating the adjoining embankment and this tends to improve the picturesque amenities. The houseboats moored in the Basin and the approach will be kept under observation and, in consultation with the British Waterways Authority, any improvement which may be necessary from time to time will be effected. 33 CARE OF THE AGED.—In past Annual Reports I have referred fully to the services, etc., which are available to this section of the community and the following brief summary of the various services available will serve as a reminder to all concerned :— Service Provided by— (1) Home Help Service . The London County Council through the Home Help Organiser, London County Council Divisional Office, 313/319, Harrow Road, W.9. (2) Meals on Wheels (a) Women's Voluntary Services, 5, Praed Street, W.2. (Medical certificate required). (b) Salvation Army: (i) Meals on Wheels. (ii) Luncheon Club each day at The Goodwill Centre, 38, Cirencester Street, W.2. (c) Invalid Meals Service for London, 124, Churchfield Road, Acton, W.3. (Medical certificate required). (3) Visiting (a) Borough Council's Visitors. (b) London County Council's Health Visitors. (c) Panel of visitors arranged by the Paddington Old People's Welfare Committee, 15, Park Place Villas, W.2. (4) Holidays (a) Old People's Holiday Home at Bexhill-on-Sea provided by the Council for 16 persons a week at a charge of 30s. Od. per person per week inclusive of transport. (b) Outings and parties arranged by the Women's Voluntary Services for club members and also by the Paddington Old People's Welfare Committee. (5) Clubs Six Darby and Joan Clubs are run by the Women's Voluntary Services. Each club meets on one afternoon a week. (6) Chiropody A Chiropody Service is arranged by the Old People's Welfare Committee at a charge of 2s. 6d. per treatment. (7) Bathing (a) Home bathing for men and women is provided by the Council. (b) Old age pensioners at special times may have baths free at the Council's Public Baths at Porchester Road and Wedlake Street. 34 (8) Laundry The Council provide a laundry service twice a week to deal with the bed linen and personal clothing of incontinent aged people. (9) Employment The Organiser Old People's Welfare Committee, 15, Park Place Villas, W.2. (10) Library Books Delivery and collection arranged for the housebound by the Librarian, Porchester Road Library, W.2. At the end of the year there were 243 (135) names on the register of old people maintained in the Department for regular visiting. In addition 177 (135) other old people were visited but it was not found necessary to put them on the register. The female visitors made 2,635 (1,575) visits, and the male inspectors 15 (50) visits to old DeoDle durine the vear. Holiday Home.—Following are figures showing the guests accommodated during the year at " Kincardine." Guests stay for a fortnight during January, February, March and November and for a week during the remainder of the year. Number of applications received 971 Number of guests accommodated 601 Number of applicants refusing or unable to accept the holiday offer for the reasons given. (a) Date offered being too early or too late 93 (b) Private reasons 88 (c) Illness 72 (d) Death 9 Number of applicants not offered a holiday for the reasons given: (a) Removed from Borough 2 (b) Died 9 (c) Refused by Selection Committee 4 (d) Single rooms not available 13 (e) Dates required not available 4 (f) Unfit 5 (g) Priority not reached 71 Of the 601 guests accommodated as shown above 256 were having their first holiday at the Home. The Home was again open for a week at Christmas and a further sixteen guests (the maximum which can be catered for) were selected from sixty-two applicants for this period. National Assistance Acts.—It was not found necessary to apply to the Court for a compulsory removal order during the year. Home Bathing and Laundry Service.—Six hundred and ninetyfour (569) baths were given at home to fifty-six (42) persons during the year and the number of cases being dealt with at the end of the year by the laundry service was fifteen (9). Thirty-six (31) people received help from the laundry service during the year. PUBLIC SWIMMING BATHS.—The following details have been supplied by the Manager, Baths and Hall, as a result of the request of the Minister of Health that information about the public swimming 35 baths in the Borough should be incorporated in my Annual Report this year. "There are two Swimming Baths in the Borough (Porchester Baths and Kensal Road Baths) each establishment having a large and a small Bath. The large Baths are open from May to September and the small Baths are open all the year round. There were approximately 180,000 attendances during the year (120,000 at Porchester Baths and 60,000 at Kensal Road Baths). A high standard of purity of bath water is maintained by continuous flow through pressure type sand filters, the water being treated by coagulants to flocculate organic matter, and then chlorinated to a marginal chlorination standard of 0.2 to 0.5 parts per million. The alkalinity of the bath water is determined by the use of soda ash treatment and a pH value of 7.2 to 7.8 is maintained. Finally the water is aerated and reheated to 76°—78° F. Cleansing of the sand filters is brought about by a reversal of the flow of water to break up the solidified sand bed, assisted by rocking the filters and the use of steam/air agitation. The normal daily consumption of fresh water added to the bath following filter cleansing equals approximately one-twenty-fifth of the bath capacity. The swimming baths are completely emptied, cleaned and refilled once a year." MASS X-RAY SURVEYS Dr. G. Z. Brett, the Physician-in-Charge, has kindly supplied the following details. Number of people X-rayed in surveys carried out in Paddington:— Men 6,189 Women 3,439 Total 9,628 Number of cases of (a) pulmonary tuberculosis requiring treatment— Men 15 Women 6 (b) pulmonary tuberculosis requiring observation— Men 8 Women 2 (c) cancer of the lung found— Men 3 Women 1 36 Clinics— Clinic and Address Clinic Times Morning Afternoon Ante-natal and post-natal. 283a, Harrow Road Mon., Tues., Wed., Thurs. and Fri. at 9.30. Wed. at 1.30 and 6.0. Thurs. at 1.30. Artificial sunlight and massage. 283a, Harrow Road Mon., Tues., Wed. andThurs.at9.15. Tues. at 1.30. Child Welfare. 283a, Harrow Road Tues. and Wed. at 9.30. Mon.,Tues., Wed., Thurs. and Fri. at 1.30. Christchurch Hall, Queensborough Passage. — Wed. and alternate Thurs. at 1.30. Dibdin House, Maida Vale Mon. at 1.30. (V. and I available first week in month). St. David's Hall, St. Mary's Terrace. — Tues. at 1.30. (V. and I.). Queen's Park Centre, Lancefield Street. — T ues., Wed.,Thurs. and Fri. at 1.30. (V. and I.). St. John's Church Rooms, Hyde Park Crescent. — Thurs. at 1.30. Dental Clinic. 283a, Harrow Road Wed. at 9.30. Thurs. at 1.30. Mothercraft. 283a, Harrow Road — Tues. and Wed. at 2.0. Toddlers. 283a, Harrow Road Mon. and Fri. at 9.30. — Christchurch Hall, Queensborough Passage. — Alternate Thurs. at 1.30. Queen's Park Centre, Lancefield Street. Tues. at 9.30. — St. John's Church Rooms, Hyde Park Crescent. Alternate Wed. at 9.30. (I.). — Foot Clinic. 283a, Harrow Road Thurs. at 9.30. Thurs. at 2.0. Clinics at which vaccination and immunisation facilities are available are marked V. and I. respectively. Day Nurseries— Katherine Bruce Day Nursery, Queen's Park Court, Ilbert Street, W.10 Marylands Day Nursery, Marylands Road, W.9. 37 St. Jude's Day Nursery, 88, Bravington Road, W.9. St. Stephen's Day Nursery, 38-46, Westbourne Park Road, W.2. CONTRIBUTIONS TO ORGANISATIONS.—Among the Organisations to which the Council make grants the following are closely connected with the work of the Public Health Department. Organisation Amount of Grant £ s. d. Family Welfare Association (Area 2) 100 0 0 Paddington Old People's Welfare Committee Women's Voluntary Services (for meals-on-wheels 915 0 0 service) 300 0 0 Salvation Army (for meals-on-wheels service) 50 0 0 Kensington and Paddington Family Service Unit 200 0 0 Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents 29 8 0 Central Council for Health Education 11 11 0 The Central Council for Health Education produces excellent pamphlets on subjects which are essential to public health such as food hygiene and the prevention of disease. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents covers a wide field but its Home Safety work is of most interest to the Department. The ageing population continues to make increasing demands on the Old People's Welfare Committee and the meals-on-wheels services. 38 APPENDIX Report of the Public Analyst (C. Harcourt Wordsworth, B.Sc., F.R.I.C.) for the year ended 31st December, 1959. To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Metropolitan Borough of Paddington. Your Worship, Ladies and Gentlemen, During the year 1959, six hundred samples were purchased by your Inspectors for examination under the provisions of the Food and Drugs Act, 1955. All the samples were taken informally. In the wide variety of foods and drugs examined a total of twenty-two were considered to be unsatisfactory. This figure includes samples submitted as a result of complaints by members of the public. These complaints, frequently associated with foreign bodies in food, show few signs of diminishing in numbers, and appear partly to be related to the publicity and emphasis given to pure food. One offender is the milk bottle containing a foreign body, which, after some years spent in examining these samples, now seems to include anything which can pass through the neck of the bottle. In the days when milk was sold from churns and cans on the doorstep "added water" was the main offender. Now, there appear to be very few cases of deliberate watering and in general the quality of milk is good, but the introduction of the milk bottle has brought its own problems, particularly to those who must clean and fill them. The samples submitted for analysis are shown in the summary below:— Formal Informal Total Drugs — 22 22 Meat and meat products — 47 47 Milk — 273 273 Other articles — 258 258 — 600 600 Several samples bore labels which were not considered to be wholly satisfactory and included a can of Mixed Vegetables which used the ambiguous term "and/or" in the list of contents. Samples of a canned pudding and pie were described as having been "packed under official supervision," which the manufacturers justified by explaining later that such wording was needed for their export trade. A sample of Prefluffed Rice was stated to contain "B Vitamins," although no amount of vitamin was disclosed. Such statements must include a quantitative measure of the vitamin and the amount present in the food normally consumed in one day must also be greater than one-sixth of the minimum daily requirement of that particular vitamin, before any claim to its presence can be made. 39 A sample of Coconut Flavoured Essence had deteriorated and the liquid had eaten through aluminium foil covering over the neck of the bottle. A sample of chicken was found to contain fly eggs, and a sample of a cheese cake was found to contain mould. A complaint concerning the appearance of chocolate truffles was found to be caused only by rough handling of the sweets. Five complaints concerning milk bottles showed that the foreign bodies included insects and dirt, fragments of glass, grit and vegetable debris, a piece of hard plastic material and mould growth. Following complaints, six samples of bread were examined and foreign matter was found in some but in others complaint had been made of the presence of hard pellets of unkneaded dough or burnt flour and bran. The foreign materials found included mould, a cigarette end and a piece of cardboard. A sample of stoned raisins was found to contain debris from infestation by moth or larvae, and was unsatisfactory. A sample of Ammoniated Tincture of Quinine was found to contain an excess of quinine sulphate. This was unusual in that an excess of the active ingredient was present in the article as sold. The general level of quality of food and drugs sold in the Borough is good and the composition of the milk supply is satisfactory. The days of gross adulteration of food are gone and the Analyst is now frequently confronted with the more subtle task of determining minute amounts of preparations used in the manufacture of foods to improve the keeping quality, flavour or colour. The checking of composition against the published label can sometimes be an extremely difficult matter, particularly when it is suspected that the wording conceals an elegant sophistication. However, the control exercised by the various Orders and Standards of Composition is bringing a far higher quality and only a very small proportion of the samples analysed can be said to have been sold "to the prejudice of the purchaser." I am, Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen, Your obedient Servant, C. Harcourt Wordsworth, Public Analyst. 40 The Ministry of Health has requested that the following figures regarding factories and outworkers should be annexed to the Annual Report. Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health in respect of the year 1959 for the Metropolitan Borough of Paddington in the County of London Prescribed Particulars on the Administration of the Factories Act, 1937 Part I of the Act 1. Inspections for purposes of provisions as to health (including inspections made by Public Health Inspectors). Premises (1) Number on Register (2) Number of Inspections (3) Written notices (4) Occupiers prosecuted (5) (i) Factories in which Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 are to be enforced by Local Authorities 85 41 (ii) Factories not included in (i) in which Section 7 is enforced by the Local Authority 515 435 2 (iii) Other Premises in which Section 7 is enforced by the Local Authoritv (excluding out-workers' premises) 30 15 — — Total 630 491 2 — 2. Cases in which defects were found. Particulars Number of cases in which defects were found Number of cases in which prosecutions were instituted Found Remedied Referred To H.M. Inspector By H.M. 1nspector (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Want of cleanliness (S.l) 33 10 Overcrowding (S.2) — — — — — Unreasonable temperature (S.3) — — — — — Inadequate ventilation (S.4) 3 2 — — — Ineffective drainage of floors (S.6) — — — — — Sanitary Conveniences (S.7) (a) Insufficient . . 3 2 (6) Unsuitable or defective 20 6 — 2 — 2 1 — — — Other offences against the Act (not including offences relating to Outwork) 6 3 Total 67 24 — 2 — 41 Part VIII of the Act Outwork (Sections 110 and 111) Nature of Work Section 110 Section 111 No. of outworkers in August list required by Section 110(1) (c) No. of cases of default in sending lists to the Council No. of prosecutions for failure to supply lists No. of instances of work in unwhole some premises Notices served Prosecutions (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) Wearing apparel Making, etc., cleaning and washing 36 — — — — — Household linen 1 — — — — — Lace, lace curtains and nets .. — — — — — — Curtains and furniture hangings — — — — — — Furniture and upholstery .. 1 — — — — — Electro-plate — — — — — — File making — — — — — — Brass and brass articles — — — — — — Fur pulling — — — — — — Iron and steel cables and chains — — — — — — Iron and steel anchors and grapnels — — — — — — Cart gear — — — — — — Locks, latches and keys — — — — — — Umbrellas, etc. — — — — — — Artificial flowers 1 — — — — — Nets, other then wire nets .. — — — — — — Tents — — — — — — Sacks — — — — — — Racquet and tennis balls .. — — — — — — Paper bags — — — — — — The making of boxes or other receptacles or parts thereof made wholly or partially of paper — — — — — — Brush making — — — — — — Pea picking — — — — — — Feather sorting 1 — — — — — Carding, etc., of buttons, etc. — — — — — — Stuffed toys 4 — — — — — Basket making 1 — — — — — Chocolates and sweetmeats .. — — — — — — Cosaques, Christmas stockings, etc. 2 — — — — — Textile weaving — — — — — — Lampshades 1 — — — —- — Total 48 — — — — — vail and co. ltd., leeke street, w.c.i.