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
Edmonton 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Edmonton]
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the Authority houses an overcrowded family, another family comes in from
outside the district and repeats the trouble which had just been attended to.
As previously mentioned, the overcrowding survey under the Housing Act,
1935, shows the number of cases of overcrowding in the district, but the
alternate remedy cannot take effect for some time yet, as after the submission
of the proposals by Local Authorities, the Ministry will then approve the
number and type of houses to be built for the rehousing of overcrowded
families concerned.
Disinfection and Disinfestation.
The following table gives some idea of the work carried out:—
| Number of journeys to collect bedding | 276 |
| ,, return ,, | 270 |
| Rooms disinfected after infectious disease | 646 |
| ,, ,, ,, phthisis | 204 |
| ,, ,, ,,cancer | 77 |
| Disinfestation carried out for vermin.. | 291 |
| Number of articles (bedding, clothing, etc.) disinfected after infectious disease | 2,971 |
| Ditto after phthisis | 642 |
| Ditto after other illnesses | 1,183 |
| Articles of bedding, etc., destroyed | 37 |
It would be a great economy in time and labour if the Disinfecting Station
were situated in a more central position, such as the Town Hall Yard.
The Council distribute a disinfectant powder and a disinfectant fluid to
residents who apply for these at the Town Hall Yard. During the year the
applicants numbered 29,298.
A formalin chamber is used for the disinfection of books, leather goods,
etc.—articles that would be damaged by steam. The number of books
disinfected was 650, other articles, 20.
There is still an increase in the number of cases of disinfestation for
vermin, and this may be accounted for by the fact that people are becoming to
some extent, "bug" minded. The buying of old bedding and furniture,
lack of perseverance on the part of certain tenants, and that in some cases
persons do not like it known that they have such vermin in their houses, all
tend to make this problem more difficult to deal with.