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Parish of St. George the Martyr, Southwark.
(4) Incinerator.— Articles to be destroyed are burnt by arrangement at Guy's
Hospital.
(5) Dress of Disinfectors.— However desirable it would be in theory to have a
removable dress, disinfected after every exposure, yet it would be extremely difficult to
carry out the proposal in practice. Very few doctors, it may be noted, attempt anything
of the kind. To be theoretically safe, disinfectors, inspectors, and medical attendants
should pass their clothes through a steam apparatus, and have an antiseptic bath after
every visit to an infected house. I am strongly of opinion, however, that the disinfectors
should have their own room away from the Vestry.
(6) Time taken by Process.—The disinfection of a room by sulphur, its sealing up
and fumigating, going to and from the disinfecting station, with the removal of infected
articles, will take up at least two hours. For the last four years the average number of
disinfections has been over four hundred per annum, or rather more than one and onethird
each day. If these cases were distributed evenly, the present staff of disinfectors
could doubtless perform the work. As, however, cases are unevenly distributed, it is
common to have four disinfections in a day, and as many as eight have had to be carried
out within that period. Now, simply to clear and sulphur four rooms would take eight
hours, to say nothing of the time required for passing goods through the Lyon's
apparatus. (Each lot of infected articles requires three-quarters of an hour's exposure
or more in the oven, besides the hour which is taken in getting up steam.) Then
furthur, the Assistant Disinfector is often engaged upon Coroner's duty. During last
week, for example, he had to attend seven inquests, and on one day to be present at four
post mortem examinations.
From these various reasons there is a constant temptation to hurry through all the
steps of disinfection. Moreover, the whole process is sometimes put off for a day, a
practice which can hardly be too strongly condemned. As a matter of fact, the disinfectors,
in times of pressure, have not opened the sulphured rooms in some instances
until nine at night.
Under these circumstances the need of an increase of the staff of disinfectors will
be fairly apparent to your Vestry, as a first step towards efficient disinfection.
(7) The enforcement of Section 60 of the Public Health Act.—This point is of
considerable importance, and its desirability has been urged by the recent Report of the
Health Sub-Committee. The aim of the section in question is to enforce "cleansing"
and disinfection. As the latter is carried out by the Vestry, "cleansing" alone remains
to be considered. Speaking generally, I regard the proper cleansing of a room with
disinfectants as essential to thorough disinfection. Further, I am inclined to think that
stripping of the walls is advisable in a majority of infectious eases. Proper cleansing,
therefore, is chiefly a matter of expenditure. I may say that, personally, I shall be
most anxious to learn the precise wishes of your Vestry as to what is to be done in
future as regards both stripping of walls and washing of rooms.
(8) The Refuge House.—The need for this house is still pressing, and the more
efficient the process of disinfection, the greater will be the need of such a shelter. If
"spray" methods be substituted for the present sulphur fumigation, and the stripping
of walls and washing enforced, it will be impossible, as heretofore, for most of the
dwellers of infected rooms (75 per cent.) to return to their disinfected lodging on the
night of disinfection.
It must be admitted that the system of room disinfection as practised in this Parish
is open to improvement. The subject, however, is so complicated and hedged in with
difficulties that it will have to be approached cautiously, and with a full knowledge of
the many points involved. The present Supplementary Report will, I think, convince
members of the want of clerical help in the Sanitary Office. It will also point to the
need of an increase in the staff of disinfectors, and of a Refuge House. As already