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
Lambeth 1918
Report on the vital and sanitary statistics of the Borough of Lambeth during the year 1918
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72
DISINFECTING DEPARTMENT, 1918.
Details of work done in connection with the Disinfecting Department
are subjoined. A total of 4683 cases of infectious diseases,
notified compulsorily by medical men, was reported and dealt with,
including cases of cerebro-spinal fever (23), acute polio-myelitis (1),
ophthalmia neonatorum (50), measles (2721), German measles (402),
and tuberculosis—pulmonary (1031), and non-pulmonary (361),
whilst the following diseases were, in addition, notified by school
teachers and others, viz.: measles (460), chicken-pox (1021), cancer
(85), whooping cough (818), verminous houses (307), verminous
rooms (539), verminous bedding (1947 articles) and clothing (608
articles), and others (1162*); 1188 patients were removed to hospital.
| Total No. of rooms disinfected by Council | 12023 |
| Do. articles do. | 19321 |
| Cases in which bedding was disinfected at home† | 5620 |
| Do. do. do. at Chamber | 2936 |
| Do. do. do. destroyed (76§ articles) | 29 |
| Premises disinfected and disinfectants supplied | 16084 |
| Articles of bedding, etc., disinfected | 19235 |
| Articles of bedding, etc., destroyed (29 houses) | 86 |
| No. of Cleansing Notices served in connection with infected houses | 1042 |
| Certificates of Medical Practitioners received in lieu of disinfection by the Council | 28 |
| Schools disinfected‡ (132 rooms) | 22 |
| Certificates of disinfection left with occupiers of disinfected premises | 2129 |
| Library books disinfected (public) | 200 |
| Mattresses re-tabbed by Council | 365 |
*Scabies, ringworm, diseases not stated, etc.
†The number is increased, compared with previous years, owing to bedding
no longer being removed to the disinfecting station in the cases of Measles,
Chicken-pox and Whooping Cough.
§ 28 certificates of medical practitioners received in lieu of official
disinfection.
‡Measles, 16 (86 rooms).