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
Finsbury 1903
Report on the public health of 1903
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216
Articles of clothing, bedding, carpets, curtains, etc., have been
disinfected in the steam disinfecting apparatus (Goddard, Massey
and Warner) which has given satisfaction. Disinfection by this
means is absolutely efficient and occupies about one hour. Two
vans are used for conveyance of the articles. One van for bringing
the infected articles, and a second van for taking the disinfected
articles back again. In the Eastern Division we have a Thresh
machine, which we use occasionally. The following is the record
of work done during 1903:—
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| 1st Quarter. | 2nd Quarter. | 3rd Quarter. | 4th Quarter. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beds | 121 | 191 | 252 | 110 | 674 |
| Mattresses | 4 | 20 | 10 | 19 | 53 |
| Pillows | 203 | 497 | 468 | 183 | 1,351 |
| Bolsters | 57 | 131 | 120 | 55 | 363 |
| Sheets | 162 | 390 | 382 | 150 | 1,084 |
| Blankets | 183 | 343 | 258 | 149 | 933 |
| Quilts | 146 | 312 | 263 | 108 | 829 |
| Cushions | 26 | 46 | 58 | 21 | 151 |
| Table Cloths | – | 2 | – | – | 2 |
| Curtains | 4 | 8 | – | – | 12 |
| Carpets | 6 | 3 | 2 | – | 11 |
| Wearing Apparel | 133 | 100 | 308 | 107 | 648 |
| Sundries | 676 | 638 | 686 | 285 | 2,285 |
| Burnings | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 14 |
| Totals | 1,726 | 2,685 | 2,811 | 1,188 | 8,410 |
The above Table deals with articles which have been disinfected.
The actual number of occupancies disinfected during 1903 are as
follows:—