View report page

19
Particulars of the staff, as required by the Ministry of Health Circular No. 359, appear in
Table VII. of the Appendix
DISINFECTION.
Bedding, clothing, etc., are disinfected at the Council's Disinfecting Station at Wood Lane by
exposure to steam under a pressure varying between 15 and 20 lbs. above atmospheric
pressure for fifteen minutes. Soiled linen is disinfected by boiling under a pressure of 10 lbs. above
atmospheric pressure for ten minutes in a rotary washing machine. A formalin cupboard is used
for the disinfection by formalin of leather, furs and other articles which cannot be exposed to high
temperatures.
Rooms vacated by persons suffering from infectious, disease are disinfected by gaseous
formaldehyde, which is generated by the volatilisation of paraform tablets, 20 tablets being used
for each 1,000 cubic feet of room space. Verminous rooms are disinfected by the burning of 3 lbs.
of sulphur for each 1,000 cubic feet.

* This table does not include tke work carried out at Wood Lane on behalf of the
Paddington Borough Council.
The total weight of the bedding, clothing, &c., of Kensington residents disinfected was 38 tons,
14 cwts., 0 qrs. and 6 lbs. The number of articles disinfected only was 15,013 and the number
disinfected and washed, 1,131.
The laundry work for the Medicinal Baths is performed at the Disinfecting Station and this
work involved in 1925 the washing of 13,874 towels, 453 sheets and 70 dressing gowns and blankets.
The Paddington Authority have entered into an agreement with the Council for the disinfection
of all articles removed from Paddington homes to be performed at the Kensington Disinfecting
Station. As the Paddington Council require certain of the articles to be washed after disinfection,
the charge was fixed at 20s. Od. per cwt. of articles dealt with, but there is a proviso in the agreement
that the minimum payment per annum is to be ƒ600.
The weight of Paddington articles disinfected in 1925 amounted to 21 tons, 15 cwts., 2 qrs.,
4 lbs. and 3,500 ai tides were washed.
The Paddington Authority are responsible for the collection of the articles and removal to the
Council's Wood Lane Station, and for the subsequent return of these articles to the homes in
Paddington, the Kensington Authority merely carrying out the disinfection at the Station.
DISINFECTION OF LIBRARY BOOKS.
in view of the difficulty of securing efficient disinfection of books, the Libraries Committee
authorise the Medical Officer of Health to destroy all Public Library volumes removed from
infected houses; this gives Kensington borrowers protection from infection from the Council's
books.
Books from private subscribing libraries found in infected houses are dealt with as follows :
(a) Books which have not been exposed to infection.—Disinfected by formalin vapour and returned
to the subscriber.
(b) Books which are believed to be infected.—A notification is sent to the Librarian. The
holder is informed that the books will not be accepted at the Library and that they can
be disinfected by formalin or destroyed at his option; he is advised that destruction is
ths only really safe method of dealing with the books but that this will only be carried
out on the understanding that the Council will not pay compensation.
The number of books from the Kensington Public Libraries destroyed during the year by the
officers of the Public Health Department was 37; the number of private library books destroyed
was 25; and the number disinfected by formalin and returned to the householders was 8.