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London County Council.
Public Health Department,
Spring Gardens, S.W.
12th December, 1894.
DISINFECTION AND DESTRUCTION OF INFECTED ARTICLES.
Report by the Medical Officer of Health of the Administrative County of London on the
provisions which have been made in the several districts of the county for disinfection
and destruction of infected articles, and for the shelter of persons during the
disinfection of their homes.
The Public Health (London) Act, Section 59, requires " that every sanitary authority shall pro"
vide either within or without their district, proper premises with all necessary apparatus and attendance
" for the destruction and for the disinfection, and carriages or vessels for the removal of articles
" (whether bedding, clothing, or other) which have become infected by any dangerous infectious disease,
" and may provide the same for the destruction, disinfection, and removal of such articles when infected
" by any other disease; and shall cause any such articles brought for destruction or disinfection,
" whether alleged to be infectcd by any dangerous infectious disease or by any other disease, to be
" destroyed or to be disinfected and returned, and may remove, and may destroy, or disinfect and return
" such articles free of charge."
" Any sanitary authorities may execute their duty under this section by combining for the pur"
poses thereof, or by contracting for the use by one of the contracting authorities of any premises
" provided for the purpose of this section by another of such contracting authorities, and may so combine
" or contract upon such terms as may be agreed upon."
I now present a return which is based upon information supplied by medical officers of health in
London, and which shows the provisions which the London Sanitary Authorities have made in pursuance
of this section or of the optional power which was conferred upon them by the Sanitary Act of 1866.
Apparatus for disinfection.
The return shows that twenty-two sanitary authorities have provided themselves with disinfecting
apparatus, in which disinfection is effected by steam; eight authorities possess apparatus in
which disinfection is effected by dry heat; nine authorities arrange with a contractor. The return also
shows that in several instances authorities have ordered or have under consideration the replacement
of existing disinfecting ovens by apparatus in which steam is used.
The districts provided with steam apparatus are—
1. Chelsea. 18. Whitechapel.
2. St. George's, Hanover-square. 14. Mile End Old Town.
8. Westminster. 15. St. George-the-Martyr.
4. St. James, Westminster. 16. Bermondsey.
5. Hampstead. 17. Lambeth.
6. St. Pancras. 18. Camberwell.
7. Islington. 19. Greenwich—
8. Hackney. Greenwich.
9. St. Giles. Deptford.
10. Strand. 20. Lewisham.
11. Shoreditch. 21. Woolwich.
12. Bethnal-green. 22. Plumstead.
The districts provided with dry-heat apparatus are—
1. Hammersmith. 6. Poplar—
2. St. Maryleboue. Poplar and Bromley.
8. Clerkenwell. Bow.
4. St. Luke. 7. St. Saviour.
5. Limehouse. 8. Newington.
The districts which have not made any provision of their own, but which depend on the services
of a contractor, are—
1. Paddington (steam). 5. St. Martin-in-the-Fields (steam).
2. Kensington (dry-heat principally used. 6. Holborn (steam).
Super-heated steam when beds are 7. Rotherhithe (steam).
in a foul condition). 8. Battersea (steam).
3. Fulham (steam). 9. Wandsworth (steam).
4. Stoke Newington (dry heat).
The sanitary authority of St. Olave makes use of the steam disinfector at Guy's hospital; the
sanitary authority of St. George-in-the-East is still, as noted in my previous report, unprovided with a
disinfecting apparatus. Two of the parishes belonging to the Lee district (Lee and Eltham) make use
of the steam disinfecting apparatus at Plumstead ; the third parish, Charlton, destroys instead of
disinfecting articles.
In my previous report, dated April, 1893, I pointed out that disinfection by dry-heat is a much
less satisfactory procedure than disinfection by steam, and I expressed the opinion that " sanitary
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