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73
The number of visits paid by the Sanitary Inspectors to the
common lodging houses during the year was 26. One Notice was
served requiring repair of yard paving and cleansing of walls and
ceiling of a water closet.
DESTRUCTION OF BED BUGS.
Information as to the action taken by the Public Health
Department for the eradication of vermin has appeared in my
Annual Reports for some years past, but the Ministry of Health
now ask all Medical Officers of Health to report on this subject
under the following five heads:—
(1) The number of (a) Council Houses, (b) other houses,
(i) found to be infested, (ii) disinfested.
There were in the possession of the Council at the end of the
year 909 dwellings. Bug infestation of varying degree was found
during 1937 in 7 of these dwellings. In six of these instances the
families removed to their present Council dwelling prior to 1934 in
which year the Council's cyanide gas chamber was erected. Up to
that time there was no routine disinfestation of the furniture of
families removing to Council dwellings. There was, therefore,
only one instance during the year of re-infestation after the Council
had taken steps to free the family's possessions from vermin.
The seven dwellings were cleansed and freed from vermin, in
two instances by the staff of the Public Health Department, two by
the staff of the Housing Department and the remaining three by the
tenants themselves.
The number of houses in private ownership found during 1937
to be bug-infested was 832 and the rooms affected numbered 1,514.
In all these cases the rooms were disinfested by the staff of the Public
Health Department.
(2) The methods employed for freeing infested houses
from bed bugs.
The methods used by the Public Health Department vary
according to circumstances. Usually, where conditions are suitable,
premises are fumigated with sulphur dioxide. Very good results
are being obtained by burning powdered sulphur to which has been
added 5 per cent. potassium nitrate. Rooms are sealed with pasted
grease-proof paper and the fumigating material burnt in tins
containing about one-half pound of material distributed about the
rooms. Approximately six pounds of fumigating material is used
to 1,000 cubic feet of air space. Where possible the rooms are kept