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 1950
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
Mortuary and Coroner's Court. The following table shows the routine work undertaken with, in brackets, the corresponding figures for 1948
| Post-Mortem Examinations. | Received for Viewing or Convenience only. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident and died in St. Pancras | 250 (227) | 5 (—) | 255 (227) |
| Died in St. Pancras, resident elsewhere | 139 (148) | 9 (1) | 148 (149) |
| Resident in St. Pancras, died elsewhere | 40 (52) | 1 (2) | 41 (54) |
| Resident and died elsewhere | 671 (574) | 25 (18) | 696 (592) |
| 1,100 (1,001) | 40 (21) | 1,140 (1,022) | |
| Accommodated for St. Pancras Hospital during rebuilding of Hospital Mortuary | — (18) | ||
| Total Number of bodies received | 1,140 (1,040) | ||
| Inquests held at Coroner's Court | 473 (459) | ||
Rodent Control.
Seven operatives and one Rodent Officer, working under the supervision of a Sanitary
Inspector, were employed on rodent control. 1,529 premises were treated and 6,007
investigated. 13,360 visits were made for laying and checking prebaits and poison baits.
There is no doubt that this service is greatly appreciated by the public, who readily
avail themselves of the facilities offered.
With the co-operation of the Borough Engineer and Surveyor's Department two sewer
campaigns were undertaken. Despite increases in the size of poison bait laid there has been
no noticeable reduction in the level of rat population in the sewers since the first drive on
sewer rats in 1943. There is no doubt, however, that any slackening in this work would
result in increases in the rat population and their more frequent appearance at ground level.