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80
Cleansing
Section 42 of the Middlesex County Council Act 1956 lays down
that when it appears to the Medical Officer of Health or a Public Health
Inspector of a local authority that the cleansing, purifying or destruction
of any articles under Section 84 of the Public Health Act, 1936 (cleansing
or destruction of filthy or verminous articles) is urgently required, he may,
subject to any direction of the local authority, himself cause such articles
to be cleansed, purified, disinfected or destroyed at the expense of the
local authority and, if necessary, be removed from the premises.
It is also necessary for the local authority to take such steps as are
necessary to free from vermin any person who makes application to them
that he is in need of cleansing. If this is found to be necessary the cleansing
must be undertaken at the expense of the local authority. In 1951 arrangements
were made with the Royal Borough of Kensington by which they
would deal at their Cleansing Station with any persons found in Harrow
to be in need of cleansing. Whenever it is necessary to use the facilities at
Kensington, the person requiring treatment is taken to the Cleansing
Station in Corporation transport where he and his clothing are dealt with.
ACTIVE IMMUNISATION IN CHILDHOOD
For long the only disease against which active immunisation in
childhood was offered was smallpox. Between the two wars inoculation
against diphtheria became practicable. It was not accepted on any great
scale until the early days of the last war. Since then it has been very well
accepted. Then came the trials of the vaccine against whooping cough.
When these proved the vaccine was effective, even though on nothing like the
same scale as the protection against diphtheria, authorities offered it to
children. Then came the discovery of the fortunate chance that diphtheria
and pertussis antigens boosted each other in effect when given together.
This led to the manufacture and use of combined vaccines. After a
temporary unpopularity because of the incidence of provocation poliomyelitis,
this combined vaccine again found favour. Then it was found
that tetanus antigen could be incorporated with this combined vaccine
without any substantial loss in efficacy. This led to the manufacture of the
triple vaccine which is now so generally used. In the meantime, vaccination
against poliomyelitis became practicable. As yet, it has not been possible
to incorporate this with the combined or the triple vaccine. This means
then that these days children can be protected against five infections by
the one vaccination against smallpox, by injection of three or four doses
of triple vaccine and of three doses of vaccine against poliomyelitis.
The most desirable time for any inoculations to be given depends on
a number of factors. One is that the child must have reached the age at
which the body tissues will react to the antigen. Account too must be
taken of the age of attack; for instance whooping cough is so very
damaging to the very young child.