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9
TREATMENT AND BATHING
CENTRE
(Superintendent—Mr. T. Lloyd)
There was a slight increase during the year in the number of
schoolchildren treated for head and body vermin due to the fact
that children from Bermondsey schools are now sent to this centre,
in addition to those from Southwark and Lambeth Schools.
There has been, however, a very considerable reduction in the
numbers of both male and female occupants of Common Lodging
Houses and Hostels who have received treatment during the year.
This is a welcome indication that the incidence of louse infestation
amongst homeless people is now comparatively slight. The heaviest
individual infestations of body vermin noted, have occurred with
some old people living alone in one or two rooms.
Infestations of premises with the usual type of domestic pests,
i.e., bed bugs and fleas, have again shown a considerable reduction
during the year, although infestations of other types of insects have
again increased. This department has been called upon to deal with
a number of wood boring beetle infestations, some of which have
been found to be dispersed throughout the ground floors of premises.
Other infestations dealt with included Beetles, Ants, Silver fish,
Clover Mites and flies of various species. In one block of flats a
particularly heavy infestation of "Blow flies" ("Blue Bottles"—
Calliphora vomitoria) resulted when the death of a lone occupant
of one flat was not discovered until a period of some six weeks had
elapsed.
Commercial premises dealt with have included a heavy infestation
of " Crickets " in a factory, Common Cockroaches (Blatta orientalis)
in a number of bakeries and German Cockroaches (Blattela germanica)
in a cafe.
A considerable amount of disinfection has been carried out during
the year—not only in domestic premises. During the Dysentery
epidemic of the early part of the year, all schools where there had
been a number of notified cases of Dysentery were disinfected. A
hospital situated in the Borough requested help in reducing an
infection passing through one of its wards. The wards and annexes
were disinfected with "Formalin" and the contents were removed
for steam disinfection.
During the early part of the year, a considerable strain was
placed on the resources of the Centre in dealing with the extremely
heavy notifications of Dysentery. In a period of less than five
months over 700 notifications were received. On notification of
infectious disease the home conditions are investigated, details of
the case and contacts noted, arrangements made for the collection