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56
VERMINOUS PERSONS.
During the year there has been a total attendance of 8,277 at the
Council's Cleansing Station, King James' Street.
Of this number 5,885 were treatments given to verminous children
in accordance with the Council's agreement with the London County
Council.
2,392 baths were given to other verminous persons who had been
sent from the Common Lodging Houses or other places in the Borough.
In the Spring of the year under review, my attention was called
to the increasing number of children suffering from Scabies and the
recurrence of Scabies amongst children who had already been treated.
Resulting from this, I made extensive enquiries into the process of
disinfection and also of treatment. Lists of infected households and
children were supplied to me by the London County Council School
Medical Department and the homes of these people were visited.
Many interesting points came to light, but briefly, the chief of these
were:—
(1) Many families had returned from the hop fields the previous
Autumn, infected with Scabies.
(2) Ineffective methods of disinfecting personal clothing of
school-children at the Disinfecting Station.
(3) Insufficient treatment of children by baths, etc.
As a result of these findings I had several consultations with the
Divisional School Medical Officer, and also reported to the Health
Committee making certain recommendations regarding the methods by
which clothing of children could be more readily and effectively
disinfected.
Accordingly, the Committee sanctioned the purchase of an electric
oven, specially adapted for the disinfection of clothing infected with
vermin and Scabies. This apparatus has now been installed and is in
full working order.
The various steps taken both by the School Medical Services and
by the Borough seem to have been effectual in reducing the number of
returned cases of Scabies, as I have since received no further reports of
re-infection from the School Medical Department.
It is to be hoped that at the end of the next twelve months period,
I shall be able to report that this condition has been maintained, in fact,
that there has been a general reduction of this skin infection.