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
Hackney 1911
Report on the sanitary condition of the Hackney District for the year 1911
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96
DISINFECTION.
(a) Rooms.—During the year 1911 there were 2,810 rooms
fumigated and 783 rooms cleansed in Hackney by the staff of the
Public Health Department. In these totals are included the
disinfections not only after cases of the notifiable infectious diseases
but also disinfection after phthisis, measles, and whooping cough.
The number of rooms fumigated and cleansed each month is
set out in the following table:—
Number of Rooms Fumigated and Cleansed each Month during 1911.
| Month. | Room's Fumigated. | Rooms Cleansed. | Remarks. |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 195 | 60 | The method of fumigation is by burning sulphur. After fumigation the rooms to be cleansed are stripped of their wall-paper and cleansed with a solution of carbolic acid. The ceilings are afterwards whitened. |
| February | 220 | 52 | |
| March | 360 | 56 | |
| April | 342 | 44 | |
| May | 213 | 51 | |
| June | 192 | 45 | |
| July | 158 | 48 | |
| August | 141 | 68 | |
| September | 232 | 71 | |
| October | 339 | 102 | |
| November | 240 | 103 | |
| December | 178 | 83 | |
| Total | 2,810 | 783 |
(b) Articles of Clothing and Furniture.—The number of articles
under this head disinfected last year was 17,626. This is an increase
of 5,814 over the number disinfected during 1910. This increase
is due not only to an increase of infectious disease in the Borough
but also to an increase in the number of articles disinfected from
homes where consumption existed, and from verminous premises.