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129
DISINFECTING DEPARTMENT.
The year 1902 has proved a record year in connection with
the amount of work carried out by the Officers of the Disinfecting
Department of the Borough Council— 5857 infected rooms
and 42,035 infected articles (bedding etc.) being dealt with,
as compared with 3040 and 28,224 respectively during 1901.
This large increase is due principally to (1) the Smallpox outbreak,
(2) the making of Chickenpox a compulsorily notifiable
disease, and (3) the making of Tuberculosis a voluntarily notifiable
disease. In addition, there are several non-notifiable infectious
diseases, which require attention, and in connection with
which disinfection is now systematically carried out in Lambeth
Borough, wherever such diseases are known to exist, e.g.,
Measles, Whooping Cough, Cancer, etc. Full details are to be
found on page 136-7, from which it will be noted that disinfecting
work tends to grow with the advances of our knowledge of the
infectious nature of different diseases. Especially is this marked
in connection with Tuberculosis and Measles in the former
disease 1481 cases being dealt with during the 3 years 1899-
1901, as compared with 17 during the preceding 3 years 18961899;
and in the latter disease, 2442, as compared with 204
respectively during the same triennial periods. During 1902,
364 Measles- and 488 Tuberculosis-infected houses have been
dealt with within the Borough, the increase in connection with
Tuberculosis being due to the fact that the Borough Council
made Tuberculosis (with expectoration) voluntarily notifiable
throughout the Borough of Lambeth from June 1st, 1902.
Whooping-cough is another disease in connection with which
disinfection is being more systematically carried out. During
1902, 110 Whooping-cough infected houses have been dealt
with in Lambeth Borough. Prior to 1899, no disinfection was
carried out in connection with Whooping-cough, and since then
the numbers have been 58, 126, and 72 during 1899, 1900 and
1901 respectively. Unfortunately Whooping-cough is regarded
as a harmless complaint of childhood, and few (if any) precautions
are, consequently, taken. It is, nevertheless, a deadly