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
Camberwell 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Camberwell.
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35
Disinfection.
The following is a summary of the work carried out by the Disinfecting Staff during 1948:—
| Notified Infectious Diseases. | Other Diseases. | Miscellaneous. | Vermin. | Total. All Cases. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Room disinfected | 1,079 | 84 | 26 | 983 | 2,172 |
| Lots of bedding disinfected | 253 | 52 | 96 | 201 | 602 |
| Total visits | 1,582 | 93 | 905 | 798 | 3,378 |
Number of articles disinfected by steam 3,364
Number of articles disinfected by formalin 1,321
Number of books disinfected 211
Number of towels washed 3,717
Number of gowns washed 694
Number of mattress covers washed 215
Number of overalls washed 185
Number of covering sheets washed 178
Beds and mattresses destroyed 563
Miscellaneous goods destroyed 377
Weight of
Tons.
Cwts.
Qtrs.
Lbs.
17½
Unsound food dealt with
61
19
1
Public Baths towels disinfected
-
18
1
0
8
1
Mattresses and pillows destroyed
5
0
Hospital dressings destroyed
1
18
0
0
3
Furniture, etc., destroyed
3
3
0
Dead animals destroyed
-
9
3
0
Rubbish destroyed
-
2
2
0
Bacteriological Examinations.
On October 1st, 1948, the Borough Bacteriologist's laboratory
at 134 Denmark Hill was taken over by the Medical
Research Council on behalf of the Ministry of Health. The
effect of this change of administration is that the facilities of
this laboratory are now available to this Council free of charge.
The following is a table of specimens examined by the Council's Bacteriologist during the period January 1st to September 30th, 1948.
| Swabs for diphtheria | 836 |
| Sputa for tubercle | 674 |
| Milk (bacteriological) | 43 |
| Bath water (bacteriological) | 15 |
| Ice cream (bacteriological) | 91 |
| Fæces for typhoid group | 6 |
| Fæces for dysentery | 25 |
| Miscellaneous specimens | 96 |
| Total | 1,786 |