[Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, Cardiff Port Sanitary Authority.

  • Cardiff Port Sanitary Authority (Cardiff, Wales) n 2006181154.
Date:
1937
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, Cardiff Port Sanitary Authority. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    . - } •systematic visits are paid by inspectors to quays, wharves and warehouses in the vicinity of the docks, and owners and occupiers are advised as to the best means of eradicating rodents. In most instances warehouses are reasonably rat-proof, possessing concrete floors and sliding, close-fitting doors. The importance of rendering all buildings near the docks rat-proof is constantly emphasised on owners and occupiers by the inspectors. _ Extensive baiting around the docl^s is undertaken systematically by the dock owners (the Great Wester Railway Conipany) and by owners and occupiers of premises in the vicinity of the dc*ls»Af»der the supervision of officers of the department. During the year, 190,409 poison baits were laid and 707 rats and 32 mice were found dead as a result of these measures. For the purpose of surveying the area around the docks for rats periodically, the district is divided into four areas, as follows :— No. 1. Penarth Dock, Windsor Slipway to Glamorganshire Canal Entrance. No. 2. Glamorganshire Canal, West Dock to West Side of East Dock. No. 3. East Side of East Dock to North Side of Roath Dock. No. 4. South Side of Roath Dock, Roath Basin and Queen Alexandra Dock. A rat-catcher is engaged for a period of one week on each area. Traps are set and the live rats caught are submitted to the Department of Zoology of the National Museum of Wales for classification and for identification of their parasitic fleas and later to the Cardiff and County Public Health Laboratory to be examined for plague. The whole district is surveyed in this way at least once every four weeks, and valuable information is being obtained as to the prevalance of rats, their species and the extent of their infestation by fleas. During the year, 61 rats were caught under this scheme, of which 19 were submitted for classification and for examination for plague. Leaflets containing full information regarding deratisation of ships are issued to (a) shipowners and shipping agents and (b) fumigation contractors. The following table shows the numbers of deratisation and deratisation exemption certificates issued during each year since 1929 :— Year Deratisation Certificates Deratisation Exemption Certi£-.c.tes Total Number Percentage Number Percentage 1929 181 62 110 38 291 1930 236 36 420 64 666 1931 195 32 407 68 602 1932 121 23 411 77 632 1933 124 26 353 74 477 1934 126 28 328 72 464 1935 109 23 357 77 466 1936 126 30 295 70 421 1937 121 30 288 70 409