Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]
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fecting of bedding, clothing, &c., in this Parish, occupies a period
of twenty-four hours, because nearly all of it is also cleansed.
It would seem desirable that in future, bedding, &c., should be
disinfected and returned on the same day, a course which would
preclude cleansing, which now costs in the aggregate almost as
much as the disinfection itself.
Section 7 deals with the letting of a house or part, after
infectious disease, and is intended for the protection of persons
entering into occupation. But the protection is limited, as the
penalty (not exceeding £10) for failure to disinfect, or for
omission to give notice to the owner, is not incurred should the
out-going tenant vacate the house at any time later than six weeks
after it has been occupied by a person suffering from an infectious
disease: even though the premises, and articles therein, have not
been disinfected; and though the owner of the premises has not
had notice from the out-going tenant of the previous existence
(within six weeks) of such disease, as required by the Act.
Presumably, however, the case would be dealt with by the Local
Authority in connection with the Notification Act, and it is the
duty of the said Authority, if they are aware that there is a
person suffering from an infectious disease in any house, to give
notice of the provisions of the section (7) to the occupier.
Section 11 makes a person guilty of an offence under the
Act who hires or uses a public conveyance, other than a hearse,
for the conveyance of an infected body, without notifying the fact
to the owner or driver; who, moreover, will be guilty of an
offence under the Act if, after receiving such notification, and use
of the conveyance, he does not provide for the disinfection of the
same. It is an obvious remark that no public conveyance—but
a hearse always—should be used for the conveyance of an
infectious dead body.
Sections 8 to 10 deal with the retention, removal, and burial
of dead bodies. After death from an infectious disease, a body
may not be retained elsewhere than in a public mortuary, or in a