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
Lewisham 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lewisham Borough]
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Rodent control
A small section, consisting of a foreman and three operatives, is
maintained for the purpose of repressing rat infestation in private
properties and business premises, and this section is supervised by the
senior sanitary inspector.
A summary of the work carried out during the year is appended:—
Table 11
| Parliamentary Division | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West | North | South | ||
| Number of complaints received | 1024 | 1680 | 1177 | 3881 |
| Number of premises baited:— initial treatments | 421 | 493 | 438 | 1352 |
| retreatments | 1003 | 1112 | 740 | 2855 |
| Investigations:— no infestation found | 603 | 1187 | 739 | 2529 |
| total number of visits | 5567 | 7460 | 4985 | 18012 |
| estimated kill | 2200 | 3037 | 1715 | 6952 |
In addition, special liaison is made twice yearly with the Borough
Engineer's department for the baiting of sewers. A table is appended
giving the results of these treatments in the year 1949:—
Table 12
| Dates of treatment | 8 June to 2 July | 1-21 December |
| Scheme of baiting | 3 consecutive days | 3 consecutive days |
| Bait base and poison | Sausage rusk and 2½ per cent. zinc phosphide (4:4:8 oz.) | Sausage rusk and 2½ per cent. zinc phosphide (4:4:8 oz.) |
| No. of manholes baited | 2846 | 2835 |
| No. of manholes shewing preliminary prebait take | 1663 | 1610 |
| No. of manholes shewing complete prebait take | 825 | 1023 |
Water supply
I am indebted to the Director of Water Examination and the Clerk
of the Metropolitan Water Board for the information on which the
following report on Lewisham's water supply is based.
The supply of water to Lewisham during 1949 was satisfactory as
regards quantity. No standpipe supplies were provided and houses
throughout the borough received their supplies direct from the public
water mains. The borough is supplied in three zones: the low zone
is supplied from Deptford well and by Thames-derived filtered water;