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
Shoreditch 1962
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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52.
The Revealer.
An instrument known as a 'Revealer' came to our attention towards the end
of the year, which has resulted in the saving of a great number of man hours
and expenditure in tracing the run of disused drains which could only otherwise
be discovered by hit and miss methods at uneconomic costs. The instrument not
only determines the run of disused drains without any excavation being made,
but also determines the depth, the diameter of the pipe and the substance with
which it is made. These claims at first appear to be fantastic, but in
practice the instrument fulfils all the claims of the manufacturers and whilst
it has been used for a matter of weeks, it has resulted in a vast saving of
time, labour and expense.
The Mouse
The presence of the mouse in factory and commercial premises is still a
matter of concern, still being on the ascendancy. At the end of the year
contracts were operative in respect of 75 premises yielding an annual income
of £1,714. 31 single treatments were carried out amounting to £216.
Once again the mechanical manhole lifting apparatus is responsible for a
saving of labour costs of at least
REPORT FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY - 31st DECEMBER 1962.
| Council Property | Dwelling Houses | Business Premises | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No.of properties in Borough | 3,984 | ||||
| No.of properties inspected as a result of | |||||
| (a) Notification | 3 | 127 | 50 | ||
| (b) Survey under the Act | — | 13 | 814 | ||
| (c) Otherwise | — | 300 | 174 | 474 | |
| Total inspections carried out | 64 | 5,133 | 7,403 | ||
| No. of properties inspected which were found to be infested by | |||||
| (a) Rats - | Major | — | — | — | — |
| Minor | — | 31 | 25 | 56 | |
| (b) Mice - | Major | — | — | — | — |
| Minor | 3 | 106 | 190 | ||
| No. of infested properties treated by Local Authority | 3 | 137 | 106 | 246 | |
| No. of notices served under Section 4 of the Act. | |||||
| (a) Treatment | — | _ | — | — | |
| (b) Structural works (i.e. Proofing) | |||||
| No. of cases where action was taken following service of Notice | — | — | — | — | |
| Legal Proceedings | — | — | — | — | |
No. of block schemes carried out - 45