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45
DISINFECTION.
Eight hundred and seventy-two visits have been paid to
infected premises for purposes of disinfection, and in making
enquiries and investigations into the possible source of the
diseases.
A large amount of disinfection work has been entailed
and carried out throughout the year. Three hundred and
eight rooms have been fumigated, as against 247 rooms last
year. This increase in the amount of disinfection work is
partly due to the additional disinfection work performed in
connection with cases of Consumption, made notifiable by
recent legislation, and by special disinfection work after
deaths from Cancer, etc. In every instance the work has
been most speedily and thoroughly done. The fumigation of
rooms is performed by Formaldehyde Tablets being dissolved
and va.pourised in special lamps after all the apertures in the
room have been sealed up and closed.
Many of the rooms, in addition to being fumigated, were
sprayed wtith a solution of Formalin, and this was done in all
cases where, for various reasons, they could not be satisfactorily
sealed.
At every house where an infectious disease occurred the
clothing, bedding, and all woollen or other articles likely to
retain infection were taken from the room occupied by the
patient and conveyed to the disinfecting station, where
thorough disinfection was performed by treatment in a reliable
Washington Lyon's steam disinfecting apparatus.
Four thousand nine hundred and three articles were disinfected,
namely, 245 beds, 471 blankets, and 3,187 miscellaneous
articles of clothing.
During the year about 566 journeys were made removing
patients in the ambulance, and collecting and returning clothing
and bedding with the infectious van.