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
Finsbury 1953
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finsbury Borough]
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The Service has worked very satisfactorily, but owing to the very small incidence of these conditions, the total numbers have, therefore, been small.
| Vermin | Scabies | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of treatments given to Finsbury cases (other than School children) | 100 | 20 | 120 |
| Total number of treatments given to Shoreditch cases (other than School children) | 5 | 8 | 13 |
| Total number of treatments given to School children (all the School children treated were not resident in Finsbury; a proportion being from adjacent boroughs) | 1,029 | 70 | 1,099 |
| Total number of Home Visits paid | 2 |
Rodent Control.
The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949, came into
operation on March 31st, 1950. The Council employs five rodent
operatives under the supervision of the Deputy Senior Sanitary
Inspector who is designated Rodent Officer.
Treatment for the eradication of rats and mice is provided free for
private dwelling houses, but otherwise a charge is made to cover the
cost. The maintenance treatment of the sewers was carried out
during May and December in conjunction with the Borough
Engineer's department, and in addition two treatments were given
to one specified area in the Borough.
I feel that the rat and mice infestation in the Borough is certainly
much less than it was some years ago, but without constant attention
it would rapidly grow into a serious problem again.
Number of complaints and requests for treatment
received 706
Number of additional premises found infested 776
Number of houses treated 4,097
Number of other premises treated 943
Number of visits made to houses 24,030
Number of visits made to other premises 5,016
Number of treatments of sewers carried out 4
The Pet Animals Act, 1951.
The purposes of this Act which came into operation on the
1st April, 1952, are:—