View report page

59
In the second place it is important to remember that verminous persons infect clean persons
with whom they associate, and, thirdly, that body lice attach themselves to persons of all ages, For
this third reason any attempt to deal with verminous conditions in school children alone could
only result in a great waste of public money. If any advantage to the community is to result
verminous families must be dealt with as a whole by the Sanitary Authority, who are in every way
better suited than the Education Authority to undertake comprehensive measures for protecting
the public from the filthy conditions which result from contact with verminous people. The following
Acts of Parliament contain provisions for dealing with verminous persons: —
I.—The Cleansing of Persons Act, 1897 confers on the Council " the power, when in their
discretion they shall see fit, to permit any person infested with vermin to use
free of charge, the apparatus (if any) which the Council possess for cleansing himself and his
clothing from vermin." The Council is authorised to expend money on providing the necessary
apparatus.
II. The London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1904.—This Act does not apply to the
cleansing of persons. It empowers the Borough Council to give notice In writing to the owner or
occupier of any room or house certified to be verminous by the Medical Officer of Health to cleanse
the house and, if necessary, to strip the walls. Under Section 19 any articles in a house which
are in a filthy state may be destroyed, provided reasonable compensation is made to the owner of
the articles.
III. -The London County Council (General Powers) Act. 1907. Part V. of this Act empowers the County
Council to enter into agreements and arrangements for the use of any appliances for the cleansing
of verminous persons, which belong to or are used by the Borough Councils. The Borough
Council of Kensington do not possess any such appliances, and the Act confers no powers over
verminous persons unless they are either children attending the elementary schools or inmates of
common lodging houses. The County Medical Officer has power to examine the clothes and
persons of children in school and to convey any child found to be verminous to suitable premises
where the child may be detained until it has been cleansed. Authority is also given to the County
Medical Officer to examine the person and clothing of any inmate of a common lodging-house who
is suspected to be verminous, but a lodger found to be infested with vermin can only be compulsorily
removed to a cleansing station, if he fail to go of his own accord within 24 hours after
the receipt from the Medical Officer of notice requiring him to submit himself and his person to
be cleansed in such suitable premises as may be available.
Children Act. 1908 -Section 122(3) provides that where any Sanitary Authority have provided,
or are entitled to the use of premises for cleansing the person or clothing of persons
infested with vermin, the Sanitary Authority shall allow the local Education Authority to use
such premises for the cleansing of school children upon such payment (if any) as may be agreed
upon between the two authorities.
Summary of Enactments.—The Cleansing Act, 1897, empowers the Council to expend money
on providing a cleansing station. The General Powers Act, 1907, confers compulsory powers on
the County Medical Officer for the removal of verminous school children and verminous inmates of
common lodging houses to cleansing stations. The Children Act, 1908, obliges the Sanitary
Authority to permit the use of any cleansing station they may possess by the Local Education
Authority. The same Act also enables the Sanitary Authority to claim reasonable payment for the
cleansing of school children, and this payment is to be made by the Education Authority.
Cost of Cleansing Stations.—In reply to a circular on this question, 16 Metropolitan Medical
Officers of Health stated that cleansing stations had been provided in their Boroughs. Certain
particulars were furnished as to cost, but their value is diminished by the fact that the greater
number of the premises have been provided in connection with existing shelters or disinfecting
stations and are served, in part or entirely, by the same staff. The cost, per annum, appears to
average about £250, and the cost, per bath, is about one shilling. The initial cost of erecting a
shelter and cleansing station in Marylebone was returned as £1,080. At three stations more than
1,000 adult persons are bathed in the year. In several stations the attendances of children exceed
1,200. It is understood that the London County Council would be willing to pay the Borough
Councils at the rate of 2s. 6d. per head, that is to say, per child cleansed. At least two or three
baths would be necessary for the cleansing of each child, and presumably a second payment would
be made in respect of any child who became re-infested after the lapse of any considerable interval
of time.