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31
SHELTER DURING DISINFECTION OF HOUSES.
As the Council's Shelter for the accommodation of persons during the
disinfection of their houses at No. 191, High Holborn, was demolished in July
the Council made arrangements with the adjoining Borough of Finsbury for the
use of their Shelter.
CLEANSING OF PERSONS ACT.
During the year 261 men and one woman infested with vermin or parasites
had their bodies cleansed and clothing disinfected free of charge. Of the 262
persons, 235 had their bodies cleansed in the baths of the St. Giles and Bloomsbury
Casual Wards in Goldsmith Street, and 1291 articles of clothing were disinfected
in the Council's steam apparatus. The remaining 27 had their bodies cleansed in
the baths of the Holborn Casual Wards, Little Gray's Inn Lane, and their 182
articles of clothing disinfected in the steam apparatus at that Casual Ward.
In the year 1905 as many as 600 men and 13 women were cleansed under
the above Act, in comparison with only 9 in 1904, 16 in 1903, and 22 in 1902.
The reason for the great increase in the year 1905 was the publicity respecting
the facilities that had been provided by the Council which had been given by
means of hand-bills. These hand-bills were placed in common lodging houses,
Salvation Army shelters, underground conveniences, police stations,public libraries,
dispensaries and the out-patients' departments of hospitals, including hospitals
for the treatment of skin diseases.
On account of alterations carried out at the St. Giles and Bloomsbury Casual
Wards during the latter part of the year 1905, the cleansing of persons had to
be limited to those living in the Borough, and arrangements were made with the
Holborn Guardians for similar free accommodation for a limited number of persons,
resident either in this Borough or in the Borough of Finsbury, and these limitations
as to residents have since been enforced.