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
St Pancras 1890
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
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25
DISINFECTION.
During the year the effect of the Notification Act has also been to materially
increase the amount of disinfection. The number of rooms fumigated has almost
doubled, the number of articles disinfected has more than doubled, and almost four
times as many articles have been destroyed by fire as in the previous year.
Rooms fumigated (the owners or occupiers stripping and cleansing) 692.
ARTICLES.
| Destroyed. | Disinfected. | |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | Beds | 666 |
| 16 | Mattresses | 353 |
| 29 | Palliasses | 195 |
| 4 | Bolsters | 490 |
| 30 | Pillows | 1523 |
| 18 | Sheets | 435 |
| 20 | Blankets | 1024 |
| 8 | Counterpanes | 39 7 |
| 183 | Wearing apparel | 1582 |
| 3 | Rugs and Mats | 67 |
| 19 | Cushions | 196 |
| 23 | Carpets | 98 |
| — ..... | Covers | 50 |
| — ..... | Curtains | 52 |
| 15 | Sundries | 319 |
| 440 | Total | 7447 |
Transport.—The large amount of disinfection could not have been coped with
if it had not been for the rapidly working disinfecting chamber erected in the
previous year, of which a full description was given in my report for 1889,
and also the addition of a third disinfector to assist in the transport. The transport
was felt to be the weakest link in the chain, manual labour not being
sufficiently rapid to keep pace with the working of the apparatus, the distances
to and fro sometimes exceeding four miles over hilly ground. Towards the close of
the year your Yestry therefore decided to have two capacious vans constructed, one
for infected and the other for disinfected articles, to be properly horsed and driven.
Shelter.—By the Infectious Disease (Prevention) Act, 1890, section 15, it is
enacted that the local authority shall provide, free of charge, temporary shelter or
house accommodation with any necessary attendants for the members of any family
in which any infectious disease has appeared, who have been compelled to leave
their dwellings for the purpose of enabling such dwellings to be disinfected, and
your Yestry is the local authority under the Act.
Up to the present moment persons seeking shelter have used the rooms in the
basement of the Vestry Hall, pending the endeavours made to procure premises
for the purpose. Hitherto these endeavours have proved fruitless, and appear very
unlikely to be successful. Under these circumstances no alternative will be left
to your Vestry but to procure a conveniently situated piece of ground and construct
thereon the necessary accommodation.
In making provision of this kind the opportunity of providing for personal
disinfection should not be lost. On the Continent the system is being carried out