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 1961
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finchley]
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RODENT CONTROL
The form in which the statistics in this Section is reported has been amended
so as to bring it into line with the data in the Report to the Ministry of Agriculture,
Fisheries & Food.
| Type of Property | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) Local Authority | (2) Dwelling Houses (inc. Council Houses) | (3) All Other (including Business Premises) | (4) Total of Cols. (1), (2) & (3) | |
| 1. Number of properties inspected as result of | ||||
| (a) Notification | 21 | 328 | 74 | 423 |
| (b) Survey | 13 | 169 | 41 | 223 |
| 2. Total inspections carried out | 141 | 1,644 | 448 | 2,233 |
| 3. Number of properties inspected which were found to be infested by | ||||
| (a) Rats | 21 | 176 | 57 | 254 |
| (b) Mice | 7 | 83 | 20 | 110 |
| 4. Number of infested properties (in 3 above) treated by Local Authority | 22 | 241 | 68 | 331 |
Following visits to 223 premises, in addition to those from which notification had
been received, 58 instances of rat infestation were found. Of the 364 premises at
which evidence of infestation by rats or mice was found 59 were food premises and
poultry was kept at 4 addresses only. In 7 cases smoke tests were applied to rat
runs and as a result defects in drains or sewers were revealed in 5 cases. The necessary
remedial works were carried out.
Treatment of Sewers
The 29 th and 30th maintenance treatments of sewers were carried out in May and
October respectively when baits of oiled warfarin incorporating a mould inhibitor were
used. Of 38 manholes in which there was evidence of rate infestation in May all but
one were cleared of infestation when rechecked with test baits in October, having been
baited to extinction in the earlier treatment.
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