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
Hackney 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
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The work done at the Council's Cleansing Station in 1948 is summarised in the following statement:—
| Scabies. | Head or body lice. | Impetigo | Hot baths. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cases. | Treatments | Cases. | Treatments | |||
| Children under 5 years | 73 | 250 | 159 | 108 | 27 | 1 |
| Children over 5 years | 198 | 620 | 1,343 | 1,362 | 4 | — |
| Adults | 227 | 705 | 140 | 143 | 3 | 6 |
| Totals | 498 | 1,575 | 1,642 | 1,613 | 34 | 7 |
Preventive treatment was given to 123 persons who had been in
close contact with persons suffering from scabies.
Information was received of 72 Hackney children of school
age who were treated for scabies at London County Council bathing
centres in adjoining boroughs.
The Council's visiting nurse called at the Homes of all persons
known to be suffering from scabies and, as far as possible, inspected
the contacts.
DISINFECTION AND DISINFESTATION.
Cyanide Chamber.—Some aspects of the work of the Borough
Council permit of more publicity than others, but the cyanide
chamber, which receives no publicity at all, has done very considerably
more for the health and well-being of the Borough in
one year of its activities than for instance, the day nurseries have
done throughout their entire career.
The following is a summary of the work carried out by the
disinfection staff during the year:—
(a) After the occurrence of infectious and contagious diseases:
Number of rooms disinfected 1,157
Number of articles of bedding and clothing
disinfected or destroyed 38,812
Number of Public Library and other books
disinfected 8,052
Number of persons accommodated in the
isolation shelters -