View report page

13
INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND DISINFECTION.
296 rooms have been disinfected in 253 houses during 1920,
as compared with 238 rooms in 202 houses in 1919.
During the year the Council adopted the recommendation of
the Sanitary Committee to provide a steam disinfecting station.
The apparatus chosen is the "Velox" high pressure steam disinfector.
The work of erecting the premises and apparatus was
completed in May, 1921, and the apparatus has been in general
use since the end of June. 1921. Steam is obtained from the
Electricity Works and the apparatus has proved quite satisfactory
so far.
The motor ambulance which has recently been delivered is
used for carriage of bedding between infected premises and the
disinfecting station, and occasionally patients are removed to
Molesey and Hampton Hospitals in this vehicle.
139 visits were made to premises in connection with cases
of infectious disease. Careful enquiries were made in respect of
the history of each case in accordance with the directions of your
Medical Officer of Health. The presence or otherwise, of sanitary
defects was also noted at each house and the necessary steps taken
to have the same remedied.
HOUSE DRAINAGE.
30 houses were re-drained during the year. In order to
ascertain correctly the condition of drains in certain cases it has
been necessary for the Corporation to avail themselves of the
powers conferred upon them by Section 41 of the Public Health
Act, 1875, to authorise your Sanitary Inspector to enter premises,
open up the ground and examine drains, etc. In other cases,
however, the owners have had the necessary excavations carried
out themselves, and have afforded all reasonable facilities to your
Sanitary Inspector to apply tests to the drains.
The practice of preparing a block plan of new schemes of
re-drainage has been continued. The plans, together with essential
details are filed for future reference.