London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1936
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
70
this is done because it has been found difficult to render these articles entirely free from all traces
of hydrogen cyanide in four hours.
This work of disinfestation with hydrogen cyanide is carried out by the council's own skilled
operators, who were trained at the Imperial Chemical Industries works at Billingham.
It is interesting to observe that this service is not one which is shunned by the working classes ;
it has become exceedingly popular, and working-class families voluntarily removing from one address
to another in the borough are in the habit of asking the council to move their furniture and disinfest
it en route.
The council's stipulation that no family shall enjoy a new home under a housing scheme unless
their effects have been disinfested has been a wise one, for it means that all families, whether they
think their furniture is verminous or not, are treated alike. It is further interesting to note that
furniture coming from condemned houses, even though it looks clean and has been cared for by a
reasonably clean housewife, is more frequently infested than is thought either by the general public
or by the housewife herself.
Summary of disinfestation carried out during the year.
The council have entered into contracts with the St. Marylebone, Fulham, Hammersmith,
Willesden and Holborn councils to remove and disinfest the effects of families moving from condemned
houses in those areas to new housing estates. The Kensington council make a charge of £3 7s. 6d.
for each load of furniture dealt with.
The following is a summary of the work of disinfestation carried out by the council's officers during the year:—
| Premises. | Rooms. | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses treated with heavy naphtha | 78 | 154 |
| „ „ „ pseudocumene | 99 | 300 |
| „ „ „ sulphur and Kensington insecticide | 516 | 894 |
Bedding and clothing removed to Wood Lane and disinfested by steam in connection with the
disiniestation of rooms:—
Disinfestations 165 Articles 1,534
| Kensington. | Marylebone. | Willesden. | Fulham. | Holborn. | Hammersmith. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of families removed | 257 | 91 | 72 | 24 | 5 | 1 |
| Number of loads treated | 219 | 50 | 69 | 18 | 10 | 1 |
| Total number of families | 450 | |||||
| ,, „ loads | 367 | |||||
The weight of furniture removed and treated by hydrogen cyanide was 432 tons 9 cwts., comprised as follows:—
| Tons. | Cwts. | Qrs. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kensington | 254 | 13 | 3 |
| Marylebone | 49 | 7 | 0 |
| Willesden | 90 | 10 | 2 |
| Fulham | 24 | 12 | 0 |
| Holborn | 12 | 5 | 3 |
| Hammersmith | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The bedding in connection with the above removals weighed 35 tons 5 cwts. 1 qr. 15 lb., and this was treated by steam at the council's disinfecting station. The articles treated by steam were as follows:—
| Mattresses and flock beds | 1,447 |
| Bolsters and pillows | 2,429 |
| Quilts | 718 |
| Blankets and sheets | 1,739 |
| Sundries | 1,737 |
| 8,070 |