London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
City of London 1968
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London, City of ]
This page requires JavaScript
17
RODENT CONTROL
Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949
Activity under this Act followed the well established principles, of, firstly, routine inspection
of the district combined with following up complaints as received, and secondly, destruction
of rats in the sewers.
Resulting from routine visits and complaints, infestations requiring treatment were dealt with as follows:—
| House mouse infestations | 738 |
| Rat infestations (Major) | 4 |
| Rat infestations (Minor) | 99 |
| Total infestations treated | 841 |
| Infestations of rats and mice not requiring separate treatment | 68 |
| Number of baits laid in connection with house mouse infestations | 10,070 |
Results of treatment-
| Bodies of house mice recovered | 898 |
| Bodies of rats recovered | 224 |
| Estimated kill of rats recorded by the amount of poison taken. | 532 |
| Total operational visits | 4,909 |
All work was combined with advising occupiers on preventive measures including proofing
and, particularly the protection of foodstuffs.
Sewers
Four periodical treatments were carried out in the sewers i.e. March, June, September and
December. The June period required, as always, a test baiting treatment (which amounts to test
baiting with a sausage rusk on a two day period) followed by poison being administered where
takes were recorded.
A total number of direct poison baits laid amounted to 1,096 in the periods March, September
and December.
Of the June pre-bait and poison period, a total of 358 pre-baits were laid comprised of wet
sausage rusk. Of these, 53 were full takes and 24 were half takes. These takes were consequently
replaced by poison baits.
The poison used on all sewer treatments was Fluoroacetamide (1081).
CITY MORTUARY
| Bodies received | 174 |
| Post Mortem Examinations made | 174 |
| Inquests on bodies | 30 |
| Inquests held at Holloway Prison | NIL |
| Inquests on fires | 1 |
| Inquests on Treasure Trove | NIL |
DISINFECTION AND CLEANSING OF VERMINOUS PERSONS, ETC.
| Articles, by weight | 1 ton 12 cwt. |
| No. of articles disinfected | 653,280 |
| Cases of horsehair | 164 |
| Fees received | £2,816 6s. Od. |
| Premises disinfected after cases of infectious disease | NIL |
| Lockers at Post Offices disinfected | 14 |
| Verminous premises disinfected | 3 |
| Beds and bedding disinfected | 703 |
| No. of verminous persons bathed | 639 |
| No. of persons with scabies bathed | 4 |
| No. of articles disinfected | 6,430 |