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71
The contact spray in use in Hackney has been selected for (a)
its lethal effect upon bugs and their eggs, (b) its effectiveness in
driving out vermin from behind woodwork, etc., (c) its non-staining
character (it can be used without damage to bedding, clothing and
furniture), and (d) its safety and simplicity of application.
Several experiments have been made in the Borough in the use
of hydrogen cyanide for house disinfestation, but the difficulty of
clearing premises of the gas and the danger to the occupiers of
adjoining houses is such that it has been decided to rely upon other
methods of house fumigation.
There is no doubt that bed bugs are carried from house to house
by the transfer or sale of old furniture and belongings. It is now
found that really heavy infestations of vermin are seldom discovered
except in the rooms occupied by aged and infirm persons who are
unable to keep their homes in a clean condition, and the death or
removal to hospital of such persons is generally followed by a distribution
of effects among relatives and neighbours or sale to dealers.
The improvement in the Borough in this respect is remarkable.
With a view to preventing the infestation of vermin-free houses in
this way the Public Health Department collects free of charge
verminous or discarded belongings and this material is destroyed in
an incinerator erected for the purpose at the Disinfecting Station
in 1935. During 1936 collections of old material for destruction
were made in 33 instances following the death or removal to hospital
of the owners. Similar collections were made from 344 other
premises during the year. In many instances a full van-load of
material was collected for destruction. It is also the practice of
the Public Health Department to collect and destroy discarded
possessions left behind by persons removing from clearance areas to
Council houses or flats.
It must not be thought from the figures given that Hackney has
an unusually large number of verminous houses. In fact, it is
probable that this Borough would compare favourably with most
London boroughs in this respect, and the large amount of work
carried out by the Public Health Department in connection with the
extermination of bugs arises from the fact that it is now generally
known to owners and occupiers that the Department is able and
willing to assist in this matter, and the presence of bugs is no longer
regarded as an evil to be accepted as inevitable in certain types of
property. In order to secure the co-operation of the public a leaflet
is issued describing the facilities offered by the Public Health
Department and a film 800 feet in length has been made by the
Department depicting slum clearance operations and the methods of
vermin disinfectation and this film is used at lectures,