[Report 1959] / Medical Officer of Health, Glasgow.

  • Glasgow (Scotland)
Date:
1959
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1959] / Medical Officer of Health, Glasgow. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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336/410 (page 334)
Work of Nurse-Inspectresses.—Nineteen thousand, four hundred and twenty-eight visits were made by the nurse-inspectresses to all types of houses but mainly in the new housing areas. Of the total in the new housing areas it was noted that only 6 were regarded as dirty and 1,827 as “ fair.” Schools were visited on 58 occasions for the purpose of examining the children for cleanliness with satisfactory results. Visitation of Old Folks.-—Regular visits are made to the houses of aged and infirm persons who are without relatives. Many of them are bed-ridden and not suitable for admission to hospital. A few refused to go to hospital when it was considered desirable. In each case periodic washings are granted and in several cases the houses are cleaned when found necessary. During the year 18 new cases were brought to the notice of the Department. A few of these proved interesting and worthy of special comment. Case 1.—A complaint was received from a tenant of offensive odours and water dripping from a house above. Entry was gained after several unsuccessful attempts. The four-apartment house was occupied by mother and middle aged son and the mother’s brother who was the tenant. All were considered to be mentally unstable though not certi- fiable. There was no food or fuel in the house and the inmates were in need of immediate attention. The house was in a very filthy condition and evidence of the uncleanly habits of the inmates was visible in all the apartments. It was considered advisable to remove the inmates temporarily to Foresthall to enable the rubbish to be removed and the house cleaned. Case 2.—The factor of a property in a good residential area complained of the unsatisfactory condition of one of the houses. Permission to inspect was not obtained but there was sufficient evidence to obtain a warrant for entry. The house was in an indescribably dirty condition with accumulations of refuse in each of the five apartments. Two-and-a- half tons of rubbish were removed by the Cleansing Department at a cost of ^10 17s. In one of the rooms where the upper portion of the window was without glass bats were found to be nesting. There were 247 milk bottles in the house, many of which had been there for years still unused. The house was cleaned by the Department’s cleaners and as an anti-climax the tenant complained that one teacup was missing. Cases such as those described are not uncommon and are now accepted as routine. Pollokshaws Smoke Control Area Order.—On 24th December, 1959, the Corporation made an Order under the Clean Air Act, 1956, declaring the major part of the Pollokshaws Ward a Smoke Control Area. The Area consists of the whole of the ward lying south of the Barrhead Road right to the City boundary, and on the east bounded by