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
Islington 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington Borough]
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45
It is an offence under the Act for any person to carry on a business of selling
animals as pets in any part of a street or public place except at a stall or barrow in
a market, and no person shall sell any animal as a pet to a person who he has
reasonable cause to believe to be under the age of 12 years.
The term "animal" is defined in this Act as including any description of
vertebrate. As a vertebrate is an animal having a backbone, the term includes fish,
amphibia, reptiles, birds and mammals.
It is provided, however, that a person shall not be deemed to keep a pet shop
by reason only of his keeping or selling pedigree animals bred by him, or the
offspring of an animal kept by him as a pet.
The number of licences issued during the year was 19.
Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949. Details of the work performed by the Rodent Control Section are given as follows:—
| Number of complaints received | 1,495 | |
| Number of investigations carried out | 1,704 | |
| Number of infestations found | 1,050 | |
| (Comprising 142 business premises, 6 local authority premises, 902 dwellings) Number of premises baited | 1,014 | |
| Number of smoke tests carried out to drains | 123 | |
| Treatments carried out:— | ||
| Dwellings | 902 with | 6,314 baits being laid |
| Local Authority premises | 6 with | 36 baits being laid |
| Business premises | 106 with | 954 baits being laid |
| Post-bait treatment in respect of dwellings, business premises and local authority premises | 2,659 with | 16,144 baits being laid |
| 3,673 | 23,448 | |
| Number of agreements sent out | 120 | |
| Number of agreements returned | 106 | |
Percentage of ships rats: 1.143 per cent. of the infestations found.
Where business firms employ their own staff or servicing companies in order
to rid the premises of rats, the premises are kept under observation, in order to
ensure satisfactory treatment, by the Rodent Control Staff of this Department.
Bombed sites and derelict buildings continued to be a source of trouble, particularly when drains have been disconnected but unsealed. Redevelopment of the sites
is the only answer and gratifying results have been been obtained where the sites
have been laid out by the Council under the War Damage Sites Act, 1949.
Due to a disused connection to the sewer and to a disused drainage system not
being effectively sealed off, rats gained access to one of the Council's blocks of flats.
Upon investigation, the drains were discovered and sealed, since when no further
trouble has been experienced.