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
Kensington 1915
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health 1915
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43
DISINFECTION.
Bedding is disinfected at the Council's disinfecting station at Wood Lane by exposure to
si earn under a pressure varying between 15 and 18 lbs. for 20 minutes. Soiled linen is disinfected
by boiling under a pressure of 10 lbs. for ten minutes in the rotary washing machine. Cloth stuffs,
dresses, etc., are disinfected by formalin vapour in the heated chamber of the steam disinfector.
A formalin cupboard has been constructed for the disinfection by formalin of leather, furs and other
articles which cannot be exposed to high temperatures. Rooms are disinfected by fumigation with
the formalin vapour generated by pouring 8 ounces of commercial formalin (a fluid containing 40
per cent of formic aldehyde) over 4 ounces of permanganate of potash crystals supplied for the
purpose in the form of a solid block. With these quantities 70 grammes of gaseous formaldehyde
are produced, an amount which is sufficient to disinfect any room measuring less than 2,000 c.ft
Rooms vacated by consumptive persons are first sprayed with per cent, solution of formic aldehyde
(formalin 2 ounces to 1 gallon of water), and then sealed and fumigated with formalin vapour.
The following Table shows the number of disinfections carried out for various diseases during
the year:—
Disinfection, 1915.
| Nature of Infection. | Rooms Disinfected. | Premises Disinfected | Disinfections at Wood Lane |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet Fever | 487 | 396 | 416 |
| Diphtheria | 200 | 168 | 155 |
| Enteric Fever | 21 | 16 | 15 |
| Measles | 267 | 181 | 19 |
| Consumption | 249 | 209 | 165 |
| Vermin | 165 | 152 | 148 |
| Other Diseases | 200 | 123 | 166 |
| Totals | 1,589 | 1,245 | 1,084 |
| Year. | Weight of Articles sent from Premises. | Number of Disinfections at Wood Lane. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tons. | Cwts. | Qrs. | Lbs. | ||
| 1909 | 33 | 5 | 2 | 23 | 789 |
| 1910 | 27 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 638 |
| 1911 | 27 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 677 |
| 1912 | 32 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 786 |
| 1913 | 38 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 983 |
| 1914 | 69 | 19 | 1 | 11 | 1,769 |
| 1915 | 45 | 10 | 2 | 24 | 1,084 |
The following number of articles was dealt with at the Wood Lane Disinfecting Station during the year:—
| Articles disinfected only | 14,850 |
| Articles disinfected and washed free of charge | 2,049 |
| Total articles dealt with in 1915 | 16,899 |