London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Deptford 1935

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Deptford, Metropolitan Borough of]

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76
So far as the structure of the house is affected, the procedure
followed is in accordance with the provisions of the Public Health
(London) Act, viz., cleansing by the owner, disinfection by the officers
of the Borough Council, supplemented by the loan to the occupiers of
a hand-spraying machine for the periodical application of an insecticide
fluid. Clothing and bedding are disinfected by steam. For personal
disinfestation, the Borough Council maintains a Cleansing Station and
provides the services of a Cleansing Attendant. This station, by
arrangement with the London County Council, is primarily used for
school children. Male adults are occasionally provided with a cleansing
bath in a separate structure. During the year, 60 adults and 1,412
children were cleansed. In addition, 947 treatments were given to
children suffering from scabies. By special arrangement with the
Camberwell Borough Council, facilities are available for adult females
to be bathed at the Camberwell Cleansing Station at a cost of 5s.
per case. One case was so dealt with in 1935.
No routine supply of disinfectants for general purposes is made but,
in the case of tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, a liquid
preparation, having a guaranteed Rideal-Walker co-efficient of 18-20,
is supplied upon request. The precautions prescribed in respect of
blue fluted bottles and labelling are observed.
III. OTHER DISEASES.
Cancer.
Disinfectants.

The incidence of Cancer is so intimately bound up with the sex and age distribution of the population that only a very general inference can be drawn from the following figures:—

YearNo. of Deaths.Percentage of total Deaths.Rate per 1,000 population.
Average 1915-19241338.51.2
1925-192915911.61.4
193015612.61.4
193117413.51.6
193214211.01.3
193313711.01.3
193418914.21.9
193516715.11.7