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No charge is ever made for disinfection.
In a considerable proportion of cases disinfection is carried out privately and certified by medical
practitioners, and this is most marked in regard to cases which undergo treatment at home; thus,
during the period between April-July, 1898, out of a total of 80 notified cases of infectious disease
treated at home, certificates as to disinfection were received as regards 13, whereas out of 300 notified
cases which were removed to hospital during the same period, in all but 12 the disinfection was
carried out by the sanitary authority.
Temporary shelter.—No accommodation for persons during the disinfection of their rooms has
been provided, but the sanitary authority allow a small sum of money to be given in cases where it is
necessary that the residents should leave their rooms while the disinfection is in process. It is stated
that there are two cottages which would be available for use at the vestry's depot, Victoria-road, but
they are not furnished.
Greenwich.
The district of Greenwich is made up of two sub-districts, namely—
(1) The parish of Greenwich, and
(2) The two parishes of St. Paul and St. Nicholas, Deptford.
The arrangements regarding disinfection are made for each sub-district separately—
Greenwich Sub-District—
(a) Articles of bedding and clothing.—A steam disinfecting apparatus has been provided in a
specially-erected building, at the depot in Chester-street, East Greenwich. The building contains two
rooms into each of which the apparatus has an opening. There are two vans : one of these is kept in
a shed adjoining the room in which the articles are removed from the apparatus after the process of
disinfection is completed, and this van is reserved for returning articles to the different premises from
which they have been brought. The other van, used for fetching articles requiring disinfection, is kept
in the yard at the side of the room where the infected articles are received.
There is no special furnace for destruction of articles.
(b) Rooms.—Before removal of articles for disinfection by steam, rooms are closed by an official
of the sanitary authority and fumigated by the burning of sulphur. The room is kept closed at least
for a period of 24 hours, sometimes as long as two days. The use of formalin has also been tried in some
cases. Notice is served in all cases to strip walls and to cleanse rooms, and if this is not complied with
the work is carried out bj an officer employed by the authority. Residents are also directed to wash
woodwork and furniture, and disinfectants are supplied by the sanitary authority if necessary.
No charge is ever made.
Disinfection is seldom carried out privately by householders. The inhabitants prefer that the
work be done by the sanitary authority.
Temporary shelter.—The sanitary authority have provided a house in East-street, Greenwich, for
the use of persons both in Deptford and Greenwich, during the disinfection of their premises. The
house is in charge of one of the board's workmen and his wife. A sitting room and two bedrooms
have been furnished, but no crockery or cooking utensils are provided for the use of people who may
have to use the accommodation. If they require any such utensils, the caretaker supplies them.
There is no bathroom.
Deptford sub-district.
(a) Articles of clothing and bedding.—A steam disinfecting apparatus has been provided in a
lean-to shed at the depot in Knott-street, Deptford. This shed has been divided by a partition into
two rooms, into each of which the apparatus has an opening. One side is reserved for receiving
articles about to undergo disinfection, the other for removing them from the apparatus after the
process is completed.
There are two vans, one for use before, the other after disinfection. They are kept in an open
shed in the yard.
(b) Rooms.—A similar method is adopted to that practised in Greenwich.
No charge is ever made.
With few exceptions all disinfection is carried out by the sanitary authority.
Temporary shelter.—See Greenwich.
Lewisham.
(a) Articles of bedding and clothing.—The district board have provided a steam disinfecting
apparatus (Washington Lyon) at the depot in Molesworth-street, Lewisham. The building in which
it is erected contains two rooms separated by a wall in which the apparatus is set so as to have an
opening into each. The infected articles are put into the apparatus in one room and removed from it
after the process of disinfection is completed in the other.
Two vans for fetching and returning articles are provided, one of these is used for large articles
such as bedding and the other for clothing, each van been disinfected by sulphur fumigation after
bringing infected articles.
(b) Rooms.—Disinfection by means of burning sulphur. The room is closed by one of the
disinfecting assistants employed by the board, and in most instances is not reopened till the following
morning. About 2 lbs. of sulphur are used for each 1,000 cubic feet. In cases where owing to want
of accommodation the room is required for use the same night it is reopened the same day, unless the
occupier can arrange to stay elsewhere. After fumigation, notice is generally served to strip walls
and cleanse the room. Walls are stripped after all bad cases. Disinfectants are supplied by the
sanitary authority for the purpose of washing floors and woodwork.
No charge is made for disinfection.
With few exceptions, disinfection in all cases of notified infectious disease is carried out by the
sanitary authority.