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Disinfecting Department.
3,981 rooms and 10,434 articlo3 of bedding wore disinfected
during the yoar among them being the rooms and articles used by
the 1,474 cases of various forms of infectious disease taken to
hospital; 633 certificates of disinfection were issued, and 367
library books dealt with from the 11,609 premises visited during
the year.

The miscellaneous specimens consisted of 40 urines, 23 swabs
for Vincent's Angina, 40 swabs for haemolytic streptococci,
12 swabs or smears from eye or vagina for Gonorrhoea and 27 faeces
Rat Infestation.
In September, 1942 the Council decided to appoint a team to
deal with the growing menace of rats which followed on the heels
of damage to houses, drains and sowers. A large measure of
success was attained although the restrictive effects of the
Rats & Mice (Destruction) Act, 1919 limited the success and would
have rendered much of the efforts abortive if no latitude had
been permitted. The general policy was to ask occupiers by whose
fault rats were present to find the cost of clearance and not to
ask occupiers to pay where the fault clearly lay elsewhere. In
this way by the end of May, 1943, 450 cases of rat infestation
had been dealt with to thb general satisfaction of all affected.
During the year measures wore taken against 546 cases of
infoatation Of which 328 were private dwelling houses, 97 were
promises where food is stored or prepared or sold and 121 were
industrial premises other than food premises. Regular inspection
are made of all war damaged dereliet properties and cleared sites
and where necessary baits are laid, The practice of seeing that
disused drains are sealed has meant few infestations of these
sites and properties.
The reservoir of rat infestations is the sewerage and
drainage system and in 84 cases tho source was defenitelyt raced
to defective or Msused drains. In sixteen cases black rats
were found and all but two of these were confined to an area
near Westminster Bridge.
During December the baiting of the sewers was carried out by
the Borough Engineer acting under the instructions of the Ministry
of Food and according to the formula (1 ounce of poison bait taken
is equivalent to 2½ dead rats) led to the destruction of 4,395
rats.