London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
St Pancras 1936
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
The work done during the year by the disinfecting staff is shown in the following table:—
| Disease. | No. of caaea. | No. of houaes. | No. of rooms contents disinfected or destroyed. | No. of rooms sprayed and fumigated. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet Fever | 464 | 441 | 437 | 425 |
| Diphtheria | 458 | 452 | 445 | 470 |
| Enteric Fever | 9 | 9 | 9 | |
| Puerperal Fever | 4 | 4 | 4 | — |
| „ Pyrexia | — | |||
| Erysipelas | 69 | 69 | 7 | |
| Cerebro-spinal Meningitis | 9 | 9 | 6 | |
| Measles | 47 | 46 | 39 | 37 |
| Pneumonia | — | |||
| Dysentery | 3 | 3 | — | |
| Scabies | 175 | 172 | ||
| Tuberculosis | 114 | 113 | 44 | |
| Vermin | 267 | 223 | ||
| Other Diseases (not notifiable) | 398 | 3S2 | 370 | 58 |
| Totals | 2033 | 1967 | 1347 |
The following table gives the number of articles disinfected or destroyed during the year on account of infectious disease or verminous conditions : —
| Infectious Disease. | Verminous. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Destroyed. | Disinfected. | Destroyed. | Disinfected. | |
| Beds, mattresses and palliasses | 89 | 1760 | 3 | 522 |
| Bolsters and pillows | 45 | 3802 | 5 | 786 |
| Sheets, blankets and counterpanes | 21 | 5626 | 5 | 2425 |
| Rugs, mats, cushions, carpets, covers and curtains | 24 | 1300 | 1 | 378 |
| Wearing apparel | 104 | 3784 | 5 | 205 |
| Books | 1 | 235 | — | — |
| Sundries | 85 | 1731 | — | 152 |
| Totals | 269 | 18238 | 19 | 4548 |
The tables above are exclusive of the disinfection of the clothing of persons who
attended the cleansing station on account of being infested by vermin or suffering from scabies.
Disinfection for Institution, etc.—In addition to the disinfecting work carried out free
of charge in connection with infectious disease, disinfections for other conditions are frequently
performed for hospitals or private residents. A small charge is made in these cases to cover
the cost.