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
Wimbledon 1932
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wimbledon]
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Disinfection.—The following table shows the number of rooms and articles disinfected.
| Disease. | Bedding Disinfected | Clothing Disinfected | No. of Rooms Disinfected. | Totals. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mattresses. | Palliasses and Counterpanes. | Beds. | Pillows and Bolsters. | Blankets and Sheets. | Dresses | Suits. | Other Articles. | |||
| Scarlet Fever | 225 | 182 | 35 | 455 | 820 | 17 | 34 | 2662 | 165 | 4594 |
| Diphtheria | 134 | 90 | 16 | 269 | 500 | 14 | 29 | 1883 | 83 | 3018 |
| Cancer | 21 | 15 | 8 | 83 | 66 | ... | ... | 49 | 21 | 263 |
| Tuberculosis | 41 | 25 | 9 | 122 | 111 | 1 | 1 | 162 | 75 | 547 |
| Erysipelas | 9 | 10 | 2 | 25 | 43 | ... | ... | 101 | 15 | 205 |
| Meales | 66 | 36 | 4 | 107 | 259 | 7 | 15 | 1112 | 23 | 1629 |
| Whooping Cough | 2 | 2 | ... | 7 | 7 | ... | ... | 118 | 4 | 140 |
| Puprperal Fever | 7 | 5 | 1 | 21 | 31 | ... | ... | 15 | 5 | 85 |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | 5 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 11 | ... | ... | 1 | 6 | 35 |
| Pneumonia | 6 | 10 | 1 | 21 | 19 | ... | ... | 25 | 6 | 88 |
| Enteric Fever | 4 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 10 | ... | ... | ... | 5 | 33 |
| Cerebro-Spinal Fever | ... | 1 | ... | 3 | 3 | ... | ... | 27 | 2 | 36 |
| Smallpox | 1 | 1 | ... | 3 | 7 | ... | 2 | 45 | 1 | 60 |
| Encephalitis Lethargica | 1 | 2 | ... | 1 | 5 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 9 |
| Venereal Diseases | ... | ... | ... | ... | 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 2 |
| Vermin | 6 | 9 | 2 | 12 | 18 | ... | ... | 28 | 54 | 129 |
| Sundries | 95 | 15 | 15 | 251 | 239 | 1 | ... | 269 | 31 | 918 |
| Totals | 623 | 408 | 95 | 1399 | 2151 | 40 | 81 | 6497 | 499 | 11,791 |
It will be noted that four hundred and ninety-nine rooms
and eleven thousand two hundred and ninety-two articles of
bedding, wearing apparel, etc., were disinfected by the Public
Health Department.
Speaking generally, infectious diseases are chiefly spread
by mild unrecognised cases and "carriers," and not by
inanimate objects. Experience has shown that thorough
cleansing with soap and water together with the free
admission of sunlight and fresh air into infected rooms is a
safe and wholesome procedure to adopt. The modern tendency
is to rely less upon the older methods of disinfection.
In spite of this the public often request disinfection to be
carried out in many cases where it is not really essential.
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