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
Finsbury 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finsbury Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
28
As a routine measure for the control of vermin, disinfestation is
carried out in the case of tenants moving into the Council's Housing
Estates (other than Post-War Estates), or requisitioned property.
This was carried out on 411 occasions during the year. The normal
routine is for old accommodation of the prospective tenant to be
sprayed with a D.D.T. Solution some days before the removal, and
at the same time for the proposed new accommodation to be treated
in the same way. On the day of removal bedding is collected from
the old address, steam disinfected in the Council's ovens, and then
removed to the new premises. In the case of Post-War Estates
the Council has entered into arrangements for the furniture and
effects to be treated with hydrogen cyanide gas before removal to
the Estate.
Verminous Persons.
The Borough Council continued the operation of the Cleansing
Station in the Health Centre for the treatment of verminous conditions,
including Scabies, and the arrangements whereby school children
were treated on behalf of the London County Council under the
supervision of a nurse appointed by them. At other times the work
was carried out under the supervision of the nurse appointed by
the Borough, who also undertook the Home Visiting when this
was necessary.
Arrangements were also continued during the year by which
cases were treated on behalf of the Shoreditch Borough Council.
The Service has worked very satisfactorily, but owing to the very small incidence of these conditions, the total numbers have, however, been small.
| Vermin | Scabies | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of treatments given to Finsbury cases (other than School children) | 84 | 21 | 105 |
| Total number of treatments given to Shoreditch cases (other than School children) | 10 | 22 | 32 |
| Total number of treatments given to School children (all the School children treated were not resident in Finsbury; a proportion being from adjacent boroughs) | 781 | 238 | 1,019 |
| Total number of Home Visits paid | Nil |