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
Stepney 1933
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Stepney]
This page requires JavaScript
50
Complaints
Drainage.
The Sanitary Inspectors supervise all drainage work. Full particulars
as to the work done by them are given on pages 41 and 42. 4,435 drains
were tested during the year. Of these, 515 were found to be defective.
Rats and
Mice.
2,823 written complaints were made to me during the year, which were
duly investigated and dealt with where necessary. Of these 137 were from
H.M. Inspector of Factories relating to workshops, 58 from the London County
Council respecting verminous school children, and 2,628 related to the
condition of houses, etc. In addition 6,620 inspections were made as a result
of complaints made to the Sanitary Inspectors.
*Of these, 1,131 were actually brought into our Depot and destroyed.
National Rat Week—6th to 11th November.
The Council adopted a similar procedure as in previous years.
Notices, drawing the attention of the public to the matter, were inserted
in four local newspapers.
Communications were sent to 13 local cinemas, requesting that notices
be displayed on the screen, drawing attention to National Rat Week.
77 chemists and oilmen within the Borough were supplied with copies
of the Ministry of Agriculture's form No. 618/T.R., bulletin No. 30 and bills
"Rat Poison Sold Here," and were requested to display the same in their
shop windows.
Rat poison, consisting of extract of squills, barium carbonate, phosphor
paste and rodine, were placed in the sewer manholes and side entrances at
525 different positions throughout the Borough. A total of 5,327 portions
of bait were laid, of which number 4,864 were eaten.
| No. of premises visited | 1,129 |
| ,, ,, Visits | 18,809 |
| „ „ rats found dead | 311 |
| * „ „ rats caught in our baited traps | 2,875 |
| „ „ premises cleared of rats | 507 |
No. of new rat complaints during this period 650
During the year 736 complaints were received as to nuisances from rats
or mice. As a consequence 759 drains were tested and in 154 instances they
were found to be defective. 600 complaints were forwarded to the Borough
Engineer, so that the Council's ratcatchers could call and assist the tenants
concerned.
I am indebted to the Borough Engineer for the following information as
to work carried out during the year by his department.