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115
infectious disease. Four hundred and forty-six rooms in
351 houses were fumigated with sulphurous acid gas by
this department, and 8 by the occupants as certified by
the medical man in attendance. Two public cabs also were
disinfected after being used to remove infected persons.
Two hundred and ninety-two lots of bedding, clothing,
&c., have been disinfected by superheated steam, and 6 lots
of bedding have been burnt. Two hundred and sixty-five
notices were served to strip paper and cleanse rooms after
fumigation, and in some instances the work had to be done
by servants of the Board.
Sanitation.—A great increase of work has been thrown
on the staff by the Public Health (London) Act, and in
some of the new directions the work has not been
completely overtaken.
Underground rooms are now under the jurisdiction of
the Board, when occupied separately from any room above
ground. The number thus occupied is not great, though
a great many are used for sleeping and living in, which
escape regulation by reason of a single room above ground
being used by the same people. It is obviously just as
important that the basement rooms should be well
ventilated and healthy, if used for sleeping in, when let
along with one or more rooms above ground. I think that
an amendment of the law to apply the statutory regulations
to them also would be of great value. Another
difficulty found in dealing with underground rooms is
that at the time of inspection there may be no separate
occupation of them, whereas in the following week the
conditions of tenancy may have changed, as frequently
happens, and the rooms become separately occupied.
Workshops.—The sanitary condition of all workshops
has now to be controlled by the officers of the Board, also
overcrowding and the rendering harmless to the workers