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
St Pancras 1921
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
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Cleansing Station.
The amount of work done here during the year is indicated in the following table. The figures represent the number of attendances. At each attendance the person receives a bath, and his or her clothes are stoved.
| Men. | Women. | Children under 15. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Pancras Cases— | ||||
| Vermin | 613 | 18 | 2,529 | *3,160 |
| Scabics | 71 | 35 | 1,725 | 1,831 |
| Cases from outside St. Pancras— | ||||
| Vermin | 77 | 1 | 1.043 | 1,121 |
| Scabies | — | 2 | 728 | 730 |
| Vermin | 690 | 19 | 3,572 | 4.281 |
| Scabies | 71 | 37 | 2,453 | 2,561 |
| Total | 761 | 56 | 6,025 | 6,842 |
| * Includes 268 males and 3 females who had no home address. | ||||
The school children included in the above table have, in the main, been brought to the
cleansing station from the public elementary schools by officials of the London County Council
as the Education Authority under the powers conferred upon them by their General Powers
Act, 1904, sec. 36 and the Children Act, 1908, sec. 122. As from the beginning of the year
the basis of payment by the County Council to the Borough Council in respect of this work was
altered from 1s. per bath to 2s. per child cleansed, so far as concerned pediculosis. This alteration
was made in view of the institution of a more intensive method of dealing with the hair
of verminous children, whereby the time spent over the cleansing was increased, but the operation
of disinfestation limited in many cases to one cleansing only. The payment in respect of
children suffering from scabies remained at 1s. per bath, as before. 3,559 cases were paid for
during the year at the rate of 2s. per case, and 2438 cleansings at the rate of 1s. per bath.
School children with head lice have also been dealt with by the London County Council
at the Prince of Wales Road Clinic.
86 verminous persons from common lodging houses outside the borough were paid
for by the London County Council at the rate of 1s. per attendance, and also 3 persons from
Finsbury, paid for by the Finsbury Borough Council at the same rate.
TUBERCULOSIS.
The number of notifications of civilian cases of tuberculosis received during 1921 are set
out in the following table, in the form required by the Ministry of Health:—