View report page

8
(b) Rooms.—For the disinfection of rooms fumigation with sulphurous acid gas is practised, the
fumigation being effected either by by burning sulphur, two pounds to each 1,000 cubic feet of space,
or by using tins of sulphur dioxide gas. The room is kept closed for 24 hours, except in cases where
the tenant requires the room the same night, in which case, the disinfection is commenced as early as
possible in the day, in order that the room may be opened again before night. In all cases of scarlet
fever and diphtheria the householder is asked, or notice is served, to strip walls and to whitewash, but
if the paper is in good condition cleansing by means of rubbing with bread is considered a sufficient
precaution. In practice this requirement is generally complied with, but occasionally the sanitary
authority strip the walls. In all cases advice is given to wash woodwork and furniture.
No charge is ever made for disinfection.
Nearly all disinfection in the district is carried out by the sanitary authority ; about one or
two per cent. of notified cases are certified by medical practitioners as having been satisfactorily disinfected.
Temporary shelter.—A building has been erected at the depot in Lithos-road, Finchley, for the
use of persons during the disinfection of their rooms. It contains two rooms, one on the ground floor
and one on the first floor. No provision for sleeping has been made, the rooms being intended only
for use in the day time. One room is reserved for persons from houses where smallpox has occurred,
the other for other diseases. Each room has a separate water-closet and separate entrance. Very little
use has been made of it since its erection about six years ago.
St. Pancras.
(a) Articles of ledding and, clothing -A steam disinfecting apparatus (Goddard, Massey and
Warner) has been provided by the sanitary authority. It is situated in a group of buildings, including
the mortuary and temporary shelter, near the vestry hall. The articles are conveyed to and
from premises by horse vans, there being separate vans for the infected and disinfected articles.
These are kept in separate sheds at the disinfecting station. There is also a cremator for the destruction
of bedding, but no article is ever destroyed unless the owner expressly desires.
(b) Rooms.—After removal of bedding and clothing, rooms are closed and fumigated by burning
sulphur. Cake sulphur is used. Before lighting the sulphur, quicklime in a bucket is mixed with
a known quantity of water, and this is left in the room during the process of fumigation, with the
object of producing a moist condition of the atmosphere by the moist vapour produced, and thus
getting more complete diffusion of the sulphurous acid gas produced by the burning sulphur. When the
the bedding is returned after disinfection, the room is opened, the walls are stripped and the room
is cleansed by men in the employment of the sanitary authority, unless the householder desires to camout
this work.
No charge is ever made for disinfection.
On the notification of a case of infectious disease, information is sent to the householder as to
the character of disinfection needed to satisfy the medical officer of health, and as a result, it is quite
exceptional to receive certificates from medical practitioners stating that disinfection has been done to
their satisfaction, practically all the disinfection is carried out by the sanitary authority.
Temporary shelter. — A building has been erected for this purpose. The ground floor is used as
sheds for the vans used in conveying articles to and from the disinfecting apparatus, the upper floor is
arranged as a shelter for persons during the disinfection of their rooms. It is approached by a staircase
leading from the yard, and contains four rooms opening out of a passage extending the width of
the building. Each room has a bath room fitted with lavatory basin attached to it. Two rooms are
furnished as sleeping rooms, two as day rooms. Each contains a cooking range. There are two waterclosets.
Islington.
(a) Articles of bedding, &c.—A disinfecting station has been provided on land at the rear of 129,
Seven Sisters-road. The premises comprise (1) a building divided by a wall into two chambers,
between which two disinfecting ovens of the Goddard, Massey and Warner pattern have been erected.
(2) Two van sheds, one on either side of the above chambers One of these is for the van for bringing
infected goods from houses, the other for the van used for returning them. (3) A laundry for washing
articles after the occurrence of enteric fever or if clothing is soiled. (4) A cremator for the destruction
of bedding.
The vestry have at present two horse vans in use for removing articles, but two others have
been provided, and new sheds and stables are to be erected for them.
(b) Rooms.—These are fumigated with sulphur before anything is removed. If the patient is
removed to hospital at once on being seized with illness it is not customary to strip walls, but if there
is any delay in patient's removal notice is served as a formal proceeding and the walls are then stripped,
ceilings whitewashed, and rooms cleansed by men in the employment of the vestry. In the former
cases, after fumigation, the householder is given instruction to wash everything in the room, which
can be so dealt with, with a disinfecting solution which can be obtained free of charge from the vestry.
No charge is ever made for disinfection.
Exceptional cases occur in which householders prefer to have disinfection carried out under the
supervision of their own medical practitioners (possibly about 24 instances during twelve months). In
such cases a special form of certificate is sent by the medical officer of health for signature by the
medical practitioner.
Temjm-ary shelter.—A well-arranged building has been erected on land adjoining the disinfecting
station for the use of persons during the disinfection of their rooms. It contains four sets of separate
tenements, each with separate entrances from the external air. Each tenement contains two rooms, one
furnished as living, the other as sleeping room, a bath room, with a scullery, sink, and loose washing
basin, and supplied with hot and cold water, and a water-closet. The shelter is under the care of the
wife of the engineer in charge of the steam disinfectors, who lives in a separate house next to the
shelter.