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6
Disinfection.
At present your district is without an apparatus for the purpose of disinfecting
clothes and bedding. Your Authority has considered the provision of a
steam disinfector.
Disinfection after infectious illness is carried out by the Sanitary Inspector.
Sulphur candles are used to fumigate rooms, clothing, and articles of furniture.
The rooms are afterwards cleansed, limewashed. and re-papered. During illness,
where necessary, carbolic acid, soap, and oil are supplied. Printed instructions
and precautions are given to persons in charge of infectious cases.
Vaccination.
The Guardians of the Barnet Union carry out the duties imposed under
the Vaccination Acts throughout the district. From a return made in the
Medical Officer's Report to the Local Government Board, it is gathered there
were in the year 1891, 1,234 births in the Barnet district; 1,006 of these infants
were successfully vaccinated; 92 died unvaccinated; in 33 vaccination was postponed;
3 were supposed to be insusceptible of vaccination; 100 remain not
vaccinated; the unvaccinated, or these finally unaccounted for, including cases
postponed, were equal to 10.8 per cent. of births. For comparison, we may
quote the returns for England and Wales. In the year 1891 there were 914,079
births; 693,117 were successfully vaccinated; 1,806 were supposed to be insusceptible
of vaccination; 9 had small-pox; 96,351 died unvaccinated; 13,823,
vaccination postponed; 108,973 remaining to be accounted for. Children not
finally accounted for, including cases postponed, were equal to a rate of 13.4
per cent. of the births.
The highest rate of children not finally accounted for, including postponed
cases, is Leicester, with 62.9 per cent. of births; the lowest is Westmoreland,
with 2.9 per cent. of births.
On the following sheet will be found a general summary of the work of the
Sanitary Inspector. The report represents a good deal of sanitary work. The
number of recorded visits made scarcely represent the actual number of visits
and time spent in superintending work in progress.