London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Marylebone 1961

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Marylebone, Metropolitan Borough]

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13
Drainage—Alterations and New Buildings.
Of the 291 drainage plans approved during the year, 36 were in respect of new buildings.
Upon request, the Borough Engineer examined 18 sewer connections and seven of them were found to
be defective and had to be renewed.
The drainage inspectors made 3,416 visits and no circumstances were found which necessitated
legal proceedings.
Combined Drainage.
Eleven orders under seal were issued in respect of combined drainage operations.
Sewerage.
The Borough Council's sewers are controlled and maintained by the Borough Engineer and discharge
into the main drainage system of the London County Council, who are responsible for the disposal of
sewage. There are no disposal plants in the Borough.
No progress has been made with the County Council regarding the provision of adequate high-level
ventilation referred to in last year's report. However, local nuisances have been abated by the simple
and short-term expedient of screening the road level covers and relying upon wider dispersal of gases
through branch sewer ventilators.
Town Planning.
Observations were made by the Department on 241 plans submitted to the Council under the Town
and Country Planning Act, 1947.
Rodent Control.
There were 184 notifications of rats at premises in the Borough, a reduction of 27 on the previous
year's figure. Notifications of mice, however, showed an increase of 62 over last year's figure of 360.
Although many theories have been put forward for the continuing increase of mice in many parts of
the country the specific cause has not so far been ascertained.
Block surveys have been continued and the system has been further altered to provide improved
coverage, which involved 6,346 premises in 105 blocks; twenty-three unnotified infestations were
discovered as compared with twenty-three located in 1,757 premises last year.
Sewers have been treated by the polythene bag system the bait being applied at side entrances only.
Baiting was carried out at approximately eight week intervals and "takes" were consistent at all
points. The residual number of rats in the sewers is being kept to an absolute minimum.
Statistics of rodent control are shown in Table 10, page 36.
Disinfestation.
The insecticide used to rid dwelling houses of bugs is kerosene with 5 per cent. D.D.T. and 0.1 per
cent, pyrethrins applied as a spray either by hand or under pressure from a motor compressor, according
to the circumstances. This treatment is also given for flea and similar infestations which occur from
time to time. During the year, 248 rooms were disinfested.
Furniture, more particularly that of people removing to fresh accommodation, is dealt with by
hydrocyanic acid gas in specially constructed vans. The Council continued to have this work done
by a contractor and during 1961 the furniture of 30 families, of whom 24 were being rehoused, was
treated by this method. In addition 508 verminous articles of bedding were disinfested by steam.
A small steam disinfector situated in the cleansing of persons section of Welfare Centre No. 2 is
used for the treatment of all articles up to the size of a single mattress. Arrangements with the Council
of the Royal Borough of Kensington for articles above this size to be steam treated in their plant at
Shepherd's Bush have continued to work most satisfactorily.
Verminous Persons.
The Department's Cleansing of Persons Baths in Lisson Grove dealt with 618 verminous persons :
adults 477 (men, 435 ; women, 42) ; children, 141 (boys, 29 ; girls, 112).