[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Holborn Borough].

  • Holborn (London, England). Metropolitan Borough.
Date:
1929
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Holborn Borough]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    24/134 (page 24)
    24 Suitable poisons were sold in the Public Health Department and an increased quantity of rat baits laid in the sewers under the Council's control. It is customary to put down about 400 baits per week. During Ra,t Week the number was increased to about 1,300. The sewermen reported that dead rats are not often seen and they expressed the view that when dead the rats are washed away down the sewers, and further that there has been a decrease in the number of rats seen in the sewers during the past few years. In the course of the inspections made in connection with Rat Week, infesta tions were found at 35 premises. In connection with this the following action was taken by the owners or occupiers of the premises:— Professional rat catchers employed 7 Traps and poisons used 18 Rat proofing carried out 5 Dogs and cats used 4 Subsequent visits disclosed the results of this action as follows:— No rats seen 23 Occasional rats but numbers considerably reduced 12 Rats from Disused Drains. In tile year 1921 the Public Health Committee had under consideration the question of nuisances arising from the presence of rats, where the access of the vermin to the premises concerned was found to result from failure to seal off disused drains. On the recommenda tion of the Committee, the Council, at its meeting on the 23rd November, 1921, decided to address communications to the Minister of Health, the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and the London County Council, urging that legislation should be introduced to provide for placing on owners or occupiers of property an obligation to notify the Local Sanitary Authority on ceasing to use any drain or similar sanitary fitting and for making it an offence to cease to use any such drain or other similar sanitary fitting without efficiently sealing it off. Copies of this resolution were also sent to the various Metropolitan, City and Borough Councils. A number of Local Authorities in London agreed with and supported the representations made by the Council, and clauses to deal with the matter were included in the London County Council (General Powers) Bill, 1923; points of difficulty arose, and the clauses were withdrawn. The matter was further considered by the London County Council and the various Metropolitan Local Authorities, and a suitable clause was agreed to and included in the London County Council (General Powers) Bill, 1926. The part of the Bill, however, dealing with the matter was withdrawn with a view to further evidence being obtained of the need for the provision. Your Medical Officer of Health was asked to furnish some of the evidence required, and clauses dealing with the matter were again included in the London County Council (General Powers) Bill, 1928. The Bill having been read a first time, was referred to the Local Legis lation Committee of the House of Commons, and your Medical Officer of Health was asked to give evidence before the Committee in support of the representations originally made by the Holborn Borough Council. Evidence was prepared giving a number of specific cases where rat infestation had occurred from disused unsealed drains. When the part of the Bill dealing