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Number of articles disinfected by steam 3,562
Number of articles disinfected by formalin 1,327
Number of books disinfected 174
Number of towels washed 5,002
Number of gowns washed 253
Number of overalls washed 291
Number of covering sheets washed 396
Beds and mattresses destroyed 290
Miscellaneous goods destroyed 260
Weight of Tons. Cwts. Qtrs. Lbs.
Unsound food dealt with 25 3 1 19½
Hospital dressings destroyed 18 3 0 0
Furniture, etc., destroyed 17 11 0 0
Dead animals destroyed — 19 1 0
Hospital bedding disinfected 35 7 3 0
Infestation Control.
The systematic destruction of food pests is essential owing
to the world shortage of food. With an increasing population
the need for this destruction is more urgent than ever. The
Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949, which came into
operation on the 31st March, 1950, placed on the Council the
obligation to ensure that as far as practicable the Borough is
kept free from rats and mice. It also provides that the occupier
of any premises shall forthwith notify the local authority in
writing if it comes to his knowledge that rats or mice are living
on or resorting to the premises in substantial numbers, except
in the case of food premises when such notice must be given to
the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. A similar duty was
placed upon occupiers by the Infestation Order, 1943.
Systematic rodent control treatment has for its purpose
the reduction of the wastage of food. Rats and mice consume
food to live but at the same time they render large quantities
of food unfit for human consumption by fouling. Structural
damage to buildings has been caused by rats and they have even
been known to undermine the foundations.
From the health point of view, systematic treatment also
controls the spread of diseases which may be caused by rats and
mice—diseases which can be fatal to human beings. The
disease of Leptospirosis is attributed to parasites of rats and
mice. Weils disease (Leptospirosis icterohaemorrhagica) is
recognised as a hazard of certain occupations, such as farmworkers,
workers in sewers and coal miners. Bathers in canals
and pools sometimes contract this disease from leptospira present
in stagnant water. The risk of infection in sewer workers can be
prevented by methods of personal protection and a continuous
campaign against rats. Personal protection consists of the