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Station was 16,637. This disinfection is accomplished by means
of high pressure saturated steam. The number of articles thus
dealt with was 5,032 less than during the previous year.
In addition to these there were 90 articles destroyed on request
from the owners. These are set out in the following table:—

(c) Public Library Books.—In the month of May, 1908, the
first Public Library was opened in the Borough. Amongst the
Rules and Regulations to be observed by borrowers occurs the
following:—
26. "No person shall take out of the Library any book for use
in a house in which there is a person suffering from infectious
disease."
" Should a case of infectious disease occur in a house, any inmate
of which has borrowed a book from the Public Library, notice
must at once be given by the borrower to the Medical Officer of
Health at the Town Hall, who will send for the book for the purpose
of disinfection or destruction as he may consider best for the
prevention of the spread of infection."
In order to give effect to that part of this rule which refers to
the disinfection of books, it was necessary to make special arrangements
at our Disinfecting Station for the systematic disinfection of
books. These articles are best disinfected by means of the gas
formic aldehyde, which may be produced by the vaporisation of
tablets of formalin in specially designed lamps. This is the
method I have adopted for the disinfection of the public library
books. It has the double merit of being economical and effectual.
Since the opening of the library to the end of December, 1908,
the officers of the Public Health Department have collected,
disinfected, and returned to the Chief Librarian, 84 books.