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78
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
Cleansing of Persons Act.
The names of 73 children, stated to be in a verminous condition,
were forwarded to me by the Medical Officer, Education
Department, London County Council, and the homes were visited
by the Inspectors. In 29 cases the body and clothing also were
said to be verminous.
These children were cleansed by the officials of the London
County Council at the Cleansing Station under the supervision of
that Authority.
15 adults were given baths at the Council's Disinfecting
Station beacuse they were in a verminous condition, 12 of these
being cases of scabies.
Flies and Mosquitoes.
During the summer months certain ponds, streams and
areas of stagnant water were treated by cutting down rank
vegetation and spraying with paraffin, with the object of destroying
the larvae of mosquitoes. Chloride of lime was used for
sprinkling horse manure in order to destroy the larvae and pupæ
of flies. A total of £13 8s. 4d. was spent in materials used in
work of this nature.
A special effort was made to prevent the fly nuisance
emanating from the Council's Dust Destructor. With the cooperation
of the Contractor all places at the Destructor likely
to harbour larvae were systematically sprayed with paraffin solution
twice weekly during the early summer and autumn months.
Other places in the yard where larvae were found were treated
with hot clinker from the furnaces and large numbers of larvae
were destroyed by these methods. Though the climatic conditions
of last summer were not such as to induce abnormal fly
production, the results obtained fully justified the small expenditure
incurred and efforts will be made annually to reduce
nuisance from flies and similar pests.
In September, several complaints were received of the
presence of large numbers of crickets in houses in Tooting, and
on investigation, Mr. R. Brown, the Sanitary Inspector for that
district, found that large numbers of these crickets were lying up
in the clinker which is heaped in the yard of the Destructor, and