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
City of Westminster 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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55
Disinfection.
Below is shown the number of rooms and articles disinfected by the
Staff of the Department. The premises included 29 rooms in 7 schools,
23 shops and 25 offices; 5 vehicles were also disinfected. In 23 cases
of infectious disease treated at home the laundry linen was collected
weekly and disinfected.
Disinfection was carried out after all cases of the notifiable diseases,
except as regards erysipelas (in which disinfection was performed in
37 instances, when the circumstances of the case required it), and also
132 houses after measles, 7 chicken-pox, 27 cancer, 8 influenza,
3 whooping-cough, and 355 phthisis. In 55 instances the premises, &c.,
were disinfected privately (44 of these being cases of phthisis).
The following table gives a comparative statement of the above work during the past seven years:—
| 1907. | 1908. | 1909. | 1910. | 1911. | 1912. | 1913. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premises | 840 | 1,067 | 1,287 | 841 | 979 | 1,020 | 1,410 | |
| Rooms | 1,455 | 1,568 | 1,865 | 1,284 | 1,449 | 1,346 | 1,796 | |
| Articles disinfected | 36,115 | 31,915 | 49,843 | 26,850 | 26,264 | 34,478 | 53,567 | |
| Articles washed | — | — | — | 514 | 782 | 4,999 | 8,210 | |
| Articles destroyed | 1,660 | 233 | 186 | 1,651 | 496 | 699 | 1,567 | |
| Books disinfected | 136 | 557 | 281 | 595 | 266 | 315 | 1,810 | |
| Number of persons admitted to shelters | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | |
Cleansing of Persons.—The Guardians deal with the frequenters
of their casual wards, and at certain of the common lodging houses
facilities are provided for the inmates; 46 adults had baths at the
station, and 749 articles of clothing were cleansed of vermin.
An arrangement with the County Council for the cleansing of school
children came into force in 1912, and 368 children attended for the
first time in 1913 for this purpose. The children attend from other
Boroughs as well as from Westminster; the numbers were:—
No. of Children. Articles of Clothing
1st Attendances. No. of Attendances. Disinfecteil or Washed.
Westminster 112 393
Chelsea ... ... ... 27 106
Lambeth ... ... ... 67 28£
Battersea ... .., ... 151 595
Wandsworth ...... 11 40
368 1,418 14,421
It is essential that at the same time the children are treated at the
station, their bedding should also be stoved, so as to destroy any vermin
in it, and for this purpose the homes of those resident in Westminster
were visited. It happens in a proportion of the cases that other members
No. of Children.
1st Attendances.
No. of Attendances.
Articles of Clothing
Disinfected or Washed.
Westminster 112 393
Chelsea 27 106
Lambeth 67 284
Battersea 151 595
Wandsworth 11 40
368 1,418 14,421
It is essential that at the same time the children are treated at the
station, their bedding should also be stoved, so as to destroy any vermin
in it, and for this purpose the homes of those resident in Westminster
were visited. It happens in a proportion of the cases that other members