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London County Council.
Public Health Department,
Spring Gardens, S.W.
December, 1895.
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
"provide 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 disinfec"tion,
whether alleged to be infected 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-four sanitary authorities have provided themselves with disinfecting
apparatus, in which disinfection is effected by steam ; six authorities possess apparatus in which
disinfection is effected by dry heat; eight authorities arrange with a contractor.
The districts nrovided with steam apparatus are—
1. Chelsea.
2. St. George's, Hanover-square.
3. Westminster.
4. St. James, Westminster.
5. Hampstead.
6. St. Pancras.
7. Islington.
8. Hackney.
9. St. Giles.
10. Strand.
11. Shoreditch.
12. Bethnal-green.
13. Whitechapel.
14. Mile End Old Town.
15. Poplar—
Poplar and Bromley.
Bow.
16. St. George-the-Martyr.
17. Newington.
18. Bermondsey.
19. Lambeth.
20. Camberwell.
21. Greenwich—
Greenwich.
Deptford.
22. Lewisham.
23. Woolwich.
24. Plumstead.
The districts provided with drv-heat apparatus are—
1. Hammersmith.
2. St. Marylebone.
3. Clerkenwell.
4. St. Luke.
5. Limehouse.
6. St. Saviour.
The districts which have not made any provision of their own, but which depend on the services
of a contractor, are—
1. Paddington (steam).
2. Kensington (dry-heat principally used.
Super-heated steam when beds are
in a foul condition).
3. Fulham (steam).
4. St. Martin-in-the-Fields (steam).
5. Holborn (steam).
6. Rotherhithe (steam).
7. Battersea (steam).
8. Wandsworth (steam).
The sanitary authority of St. Olave makes use of the steam disinfector at Guy's hospital, and
the sanitary authority of Stoke Newington makes use of the disinfecting apparatus of the Islington
Yestiy; the sanitary authority of St. George-in-the-East is still, as noted in previous reports, 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.
Sold by Edward Stanford, 26 and 27, Cockspur-street, Churing-cross, S.W.
No. 214.— Price 4d. [6589