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 1922
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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Disinfection. The number of articles treated was
| 1917. | 1918. | 1919. | 1920. | 1921. | 1922. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms | 814 | 722 | 941 | 1,196 | 1,502 | 1,179 |
| Articles disinfected | 281,895 | 153,048 | 50,496 | 49,542 | 31,654 | 28,709 |
| Articles washed | 8,015 | 6,551 | 5,759 | 7,185 | 6,766 | 7,355 |
| Articles destroyed | 5,097 | 3,048 | 543 | 70 | 38 | 105 |
| Books disinfected | 12 | 4 | 77 | 42 | 212 | 173 |
| Vehicles | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
The motor van during 1922 ran 3,814 miles and carried 3,257 cwt.
of goods, the highest amount in any one day being 34 cwt.
Cleansing of Persons.—The number of Westminster children suffering
from head and body lice treated at the cleansing station was 636, again
an increase over the preceding year. There is, however, a satisfactory
decrease in cases of scabies.
Head lice.
Body lice.
Scabies.
Total.
Children 619 17 36 672
Adults 4 207 34 245
623 224 70 917
Many of the adults also suffered from head lice. All the lice cases
were dealt with at the station, but 21 of the scabies cases were treated
at home.
By arrangement with the County Council school, children from
Battersea, Chelsea, Holborn, Kensington, Lambeth, St. Pancras and
St. Marylebone were sent to the Station for cleansing, these numbered
286 for head lice, 11 for body lice, and 6 for scabies.
Each case implies a number of attendances for treatment, and the
disinfection of the clothing, besides which in the Westminster cases the
bedding is removed for disinfection at the same time that the persons
affected are being treated. The 887 children suffering from head lice
had treatment on 1,184 occasions, the 28 with body lice had 60 treatments,
and 42 with scabies had 143 baths.
In dealing with the Westminster cases, 1,512 visits were paid to the
houses, three times as many as were paid in 1921.
Mortuaries.
The number of bodies removed to the Council's mortuaries under
order of the Coroner, or to await burial, was 274; in 1 instance on
! account of infectious disease.