London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Lambeth 1919
Report on the vital and sanitary statistics of the Borough of Lambeth during the year 1919
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79
DISINFECTING DEPARTMENT, 1919.
Details of work done in connection with the Disinfecting
Department are subjoined. A total of 3409 cases of infectious
diseases, notified compulsorily by medical men, was reported
and dealt with, including cases of cerebro-spinal fever (13),
acute polio - myelitis (7), acute primary pneumonia (169),
influenzal pneumonia (74), encephalitis (5), malaria (91),
dysentery (6), ophthalmia neonatorum (82), measles (979),
German measles (200), and tuberculosis —pulmonary (656) and nonpulmonary
(224), whilst the following diseases were, in addition,
notified by school teachers and others, viz. : measles (345), chickenpox
(743), cancer (78), whooping cough (450), verminous houses
(137), verminous rooms (248), verminous bedding (1,073 articles)
and clothing (79 articles), and others (976*), 1,542 patients were
removed to hospital.
Summary of work carried out by the Disinfecting Department during 1919.
| Total No. of rooms disinfected by Council | 7450 |
| Do. articles do. | 21183 |
| Cases in which bedding was disinfected at home † | 5731 |
| Do. do. do. at Chamber | 2089 |
| Do. do. do. destroyed (76 § articles) | 151 |
| Premises disinfected and disinfectants supplied | 16745 |
| Articles of bedding, etc., disinfected | 21883 |
| Articles of bedding, etc., destroyed (27 houses) | 151 |
| No. of Cleansing Notices served in connection with infected houses | 1587 |
| Certificates of Medical Practitioners received in lieu of disinfection by the Council | 9 |
| Schools disinfected‡ (124 rooms) | 25 |
| Certificates of disinfection left with occupiers of disinfected premises | 850 |
| Library books disinfected (public) | 120 |
| Mattresses re-tabbed by Council | 502 |
* Scabies, ringworm, diseases not stated, etc.
† The number is increased, compared with previous years, owing to bedding
no longer being removed to the disinfecting station in the cases of Measles,
Chicken-pox and Whooping Cough.
§ 9 certificates of medical practitioners received in lieu of official
disinfection.
‡ Measles, 17 (48 rooms).