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 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Camberwell.
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32
for several days thus obviating the necessity for daily visitation
by the rodent operatives. The use of this rodenticide represented
a considerable advance in rodent control, as apart from
the economic aspect, it has proved to be more effective than the
former method of dealing with surface infestations by rats and
mice.
It was, however, not considered advisable to use "Warfarin"
for baiting sewers as the damp and humid atmosphere
in the sewers caused the bait to deteriorate rapidly. During the
year, the Council's Rodent Officer devised a block bait incorporating
"Warfarin" with good keeping qualities which experiments
indicated would be of great value in sewer baiting. The
Technical and Scientific Staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and
Fisheries were keenly interested in this new development and
towards the end of the year an official request was received
from the Ministry asking the Council to co-operate by carrying
out a large-scale experiment to test the efficiency of these
"Warfarin" blocks in the Council's sewers. This was agreed to
and at the end of the year the necessary arrangements were
well advanced.
The following table is a summary of the work of the Rodent Control staff during the past three years:—
| 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of complaints received | 1,383 | 1,370 | 1,289 |
| No. of inspections | 2,802 | 2,391 | 3,049 |
| No. of operators' calls | 21,473 | 19,340 | 10,492 |
| No. of private premises baited | 1,484 | 1,280 | 1,244 |
| No. of business premises baited | 281 | 183 | 170 |
| No. of pre-baits laid | 39,884 | 31,101 | 6,204* |
| No. of poison baits laid | 16,959 | 16,040 | 8,174† |
*Pre-baiting discontinued 1-4-54. †Including "Warfarin" baits.
In cases where rat infestations are suspected to be due to
defective drains, such drains are tested. Forty-five tests were
applied during the year and positive results obtained in 22
instances. Appropriate action was taken to secure the repair
of the drains where necessary.
Bed Bugs
Infestations by bed bugs have been considerably reduced
during the past few years by the development of the new
contact insecticides of which D.D.T. was the first. These
preparations leave a deposit which is lethal to insects coming
into contact with it for many months after its application.
This prolonged effectiveness results in the destruction of vermin
which hatch out after spraying and also obviates the necessity
for stripping walls and ceilings or easing woodwork such as
door and window frames, skirting boards, picture rails, etc.