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Section 122 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936 enables the
Council, on a report from the Medical Officer of Health that any
articles in a house in the borough are in such a verminous, filthy,
dangerous or unwholesome condition that health is affected or endangered
thereby, to cause the articles to be cleansed, disinfected or destroyed.
58 such representations were made in 1958.
Cleansing of Verminous Persons
The Borough Council continued the operation of the Bathing Centre
in the Health Centre for the treatment of verminous conditions, including
Scabies, and 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 Council, 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.
Body lice have been dealt with by means of a hot bath during which
the clothing is steam disinfected and then powdered with D.D.T.
Head lice have been dealt with by the usual method of washing and
combing the hair together with the use of Suleo, a preparation containing
D.D.T.
Scabies has been treated by painting the body after a hot bath
with Benzyl Benzoate on the first attendance following by a further
hot bath on the next day and the application of calamine lotion. The
clothes are not normally disinfected. Scarcely any recurrences have
taken place.
Vermin Scabies Total
Total number of treatments given to Finsbury
cases (other than school children) 70 44 114
Total number of treatments given to Shoreditch
cases (other than school children). 3 35 38
Total number of treatments given to school
children (all the school children treated
were not resident in Finsbury; a proportion
being from adjacent boroughs). 710 78 788
Total number of home visits paid 1