London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Finchley 1958
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finchley]
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Sewage Farm. After a considerable period of investigation this
complaint was not confirmed.
The Sewage Farm is treated at frequent intervals.
Twenty-three smoke tests were applied to rat runs which revealed
defects in drains and/or sewers in 5 cases. One of these defects had
caused considerable trouble for a very long time.
| Rats | Mice | |
|---|---|---|
| Visits in connection with infestations and surveys | 2,572 | 594 |
| Number of confirmed infestations | 259 | 75 |
| Prebaits | 2,963 | — |
| Zinc Phosphide | 918 | — |
| Arsenic | 203 | — |
| A.N.T.U. | 200 | — |
| Warfarin | 2,289 | 225 |
| Gassings | 7 | - |
Treatment of Sewers
The Borough is divided into 10 areas for the purpose of sewer
treatment in order to control the rat population. Maintenance treatment
was carried out covering 3 of the 10 areas during May and
October. Warfarin was used for the first time and inspections were
Warfarin, hitherto used as a surface treatment, has now been
modified for sewer treatment and its use will be extended to cover all
the sewers within the Borough.
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carried out at four-day intervals. The following table indicates the amount of work involved:—
| First Treatment | Second Treatment | |
|---|---|---|
| Total number of manholes baited | 481 | 774 |
| Number of poison takes | 20 | 7 |