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Disinfection.—A steam disinfector at the Hornsey Depot
serves to disinfect bedding, clothes and other articles from infected
houses. Disinfection is offered now to householders, and
is gratefully accepted, after deaths from cancer and tuberculosis
as well as after the ordinary infective and contagious complaints.
During the year 19,654 articles were disinfected. Two motorvans
are employed in the collection and returning of such articles.
Ambulance Service.—In addition to the horse-drawn ambulances
at the Isolation Hospital, the Borough keeps a motor
ambulance for the removal to hospital and elsewhere of noninfected
cases. During the year this ambulance made 539
journeys.
Sanitary Inspection of the District.—Throughout the year
inspection of the district was made by the Medical Officer of
Health and the five Sanitary Inspectors. As the result of these
inspections insanitary conditions were found on 3,744 occasions.
Details of these defective and unhealthy conditions are given
in Table D., and the work done by the inspectors is shown in
Table E.
In order to have these insanitary conditions a 1 Kited 1,923
preliminary intimations were sent out from the office drawing the
attention of the owner or occupier to the defects. In addition,
529 statutory notices were served and were obeyed, except in two
instances, where successful legal proceedings were taken against
the defaulting persons. To serve notices which are not obeyed
is to bring the Local Authority into disrepute, and it is satisfactory
to see that the owners of property on the whole appreciate
that it is necessary for them to obey the notices served upon
them. In discovering defects and in seeing that these were
properly remedied the inspectors made 12,485 visits during the
year.
Procedure under the Nuisance Section of the Public Health
Act of 1875 is often a slow and laborious business, and the delay
occasioned in abating certain nuisances may be injurious to
health. For example, if a drain is choked and sewage is overflowing
into a house or back yard, it may be a month before the
legal statutory notice can be served by the Council upon the