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
Holborn 1925
Report for the year 1925 of the Medical Officer of Health
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Arrangements were also made at the request of the keeper of a common
lodging house for the disinfection of 688 blankets.
Forty-four books belonging to the Holborn Public Library were disinfected.
Two ambulance cars belonging to the London County Council in which
infectious patients had been conveyed were also disinfected.
During the year two small motor vehicles were provided for the conveyance
of infected bedding and articles of clothing to and from the disinfecting station.
These vehicles were substituted for the hand trucks which were formerly used.
The conveyance of infected articles by hand trucks was considered to be not
only slow but obsolete and unsnited for a Central London Borough.
The following table summarises the disinfections carried out in the last five years—1921-2-3-4-5:—
| Year. | Routine disinfection after infectious disease in Ho: born. | Articles disinfected after infectious disease in Finsbury. * | Articles disinfected at request of traders and others. | Disinfections Rooms after Tuberculosis. | Articles Disinfected for Vermin (Cleansing of Persons Act.) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms. | Artieles. | |||||
| 1921 | 389 | 6,785 | 2,79S | 124,000 (second hand clothing) | ? | 2,370 |
| 1922 | 389 | 3,991 | 3,513 | 307,211 (second hand clothing) | 29 | 1 232 |
| 1923 | 354 | 3,342 | 82 | 450 (sccond hand clothing) | 36 | 1,146 |
| 1924 | 342 | 3,342 | - | 9,4 16 (hats, &c.) | 67 | 1,411 |
| 1925 | 502 | 3,507 | - | 688 (blankets) | 59 (& 504 articles) | 1,751 |
| Five years | 1,976 | 20,907 | 6,393 | 441,768 | 191 | 8,240 |
* During repair of the Finsbury disinfecting apparatus.
In addition to above, the disinfections during the five years included those of
toys, books, ambulances and motor cars.
Cleansing of Persons Act.
During the year 124 persons (120 men and 4 women) infested with vermin
had their bodies and 1,751 articles of clothing disinfected, free of charge, at our
cleansing station (Goldsmith Street).
One hundred and forty-three verminous rooms were disinfected.
In connection with the fumigation of verminous rooms, it is now our
practice to repeat the fumigation at the end of a week, by which time it is
expected that any eggs will have hatched out; a single fumigation of any
badly infested room cannot be regarded as satisfactory. In 67 cases last year
this course was adopted.
During the five years, 1921-25, 658 persons (608 men and 50 women) infested
with vermin had their bodies and 8,240 articles of clothing disinfected, free of
charge, at our cleansing station
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