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The conclusion arrived at by the Medical Officer, as the outcome of the inquiry, is that—
"The circumstances which are needed to make the Act usefully operative in London, are
that proper provision should be made both in respect of character and locality of the accommodation;
that this accommodation should be made widely known, and should also be made available
for all applicants irrespective of any question as to their place of residence."
A suggestion having been made that the Council should give publicity to the facilities
provided for the purposes of the Act, by the issue of a notice for posting in common lodging-houses:
a notice was drafted, in which it was intimated that—"Any person of either sex having vermin may
get a bath, and have his or her clothes cleansed Free of Charge, at the Casual Wards, Mary
Place, Notting Dale."
Attention having been called "to the requirement in some districts (including Kensington)
that the applicant should, before applying at the Cleansing Station, first obtain an order signed by
the Medical Officer of Health," the County Medical Officer of Health justly observed that—" obviously
the necessity of journeying in the first instance to the Town Hall, and afterwards to the Cleansing
Station, must act as a deterrent." To meet this objection, it is further intimated in the Council's
Notice, that "the Deputy (at the common lodging-house) will give (to the applicant for cleansing)
the necessary ticket on application."
The notice was posted at the common lodging-houses, and books of tickets were given to the
County Council's Inspector, who distributed them to the Deputies; nevertheless very few persons
have availed themselves of the facilities, although the accommodation for nightly lodgers is 467
beds in the 17 lodging-houses in the Notting Dale special area alone.
I have thus dealt with the general question, inasmuch as the aforementioned request of the
Medical Officer (Education) of the County Council amounts, in effect, to a recommendation for the
establishment by the Council of a Cleansing Station apart from the Casual Wards, and dissociated
from Poor Law Relief. Such a step on the part of the Council would have my entire sympathy, as
conferring a boon to persons in need of assistance in peculiarly disagreeable circumstances. In any
event, the case of verminous children is one eminently deserving of consideration, and in this connexion
it will be remembered that the Council possess power to enforce the cleansing of a house
infested with vermin, by the owner or occupier," and to take such other steps for the purpose of
destroying and removing vermin as the case may require," under Section 20 of the London County
Council (General Powers) Act, 1904. This power was exercised, last year, in respect to 269 houses.
In this connexion it may be remarked that it is probable that children who go to school in a
verminous condition, become infested at home; and should provision be made for cleansing them,
applications by the Education Committee's nurse for the Council's aid, would reveal the existence of
infested houses, and put the sanitary inspector on their track, and thus lead to extensive use of a
cleansing station. Should the Council decide to deal with the matter, it will be deserving of consideration
whether, in connexion with the station, accommodation might not be provided for
persons requiring to be sheltered whilst their homes are undergoing purification after infectious
disease. Be this as it may, and whether, or not, the number of cleansings of children should be as
great as estimated by the County Medical Officer (Education); viz., 50 per week, I anticipate that
the work would be in excess of the power of the Board of Guardians to deal with; and in any case
there will hardly be any difference of opinion as to the undesirability of sending children to the
casual ward for the purpose, apart from the improbability of parents permitting such a thing to be
done.
The Public Health Committee of the London County Council in a report (24th May) submitted
"recommendations" as to the legislation in public health matters which the Council should
promote in the Session of 1907, amongst them one relating to "cleansing of verminous persons,"
which was "agreed" by the Council in July. The said recommendation, in effect, proposed to
extend and make compulsory the provisions of the Cleansing of Persons Act, 1897, by "Enabling
the Council and sanitary authorities to provide for the cleansing of children attending schools
within the County of London, and persons in common-lodging-houses who are infested with
vermin." The Committee in their prefatory remarks, referred to the powers contained in the
Glasgow Corporation {Police) Order, 1904, which authorises a sanitary inspector, with the permission
of the managers of an elementary school, to enter a school under their control to examine a
child, and take the necessary steps to secure cleansing if found requisite; and stated that the
Education Committee were of opinion that the Council should be enabled to require the cleansing
of children attending schools within the county on the lines of the said Act. The Cleansing of
Persons, Act, 1897, is generally disregarded in the Metropolis, its provisions not being compulsory.
The exercise of the proposed power would tend, generally, to the abatement of a