Progress report of the Medical Officer of Health to 30th September, 1925 / Urban Sanitary District of the City of Port-of-Spain.

  • Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago). Public Health Department.
Date:
1925
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Progress report of the Medical Officer of Health to 30th September, 1925 / Urban Sanitary District of the City of Port-of-Spain. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    'r 53. Weekly reports were, also, as regularly as_ possible made on samples of water taken direct from the various sources of supply and, besides their use in the control of chlorination, are serviceable records for the purpose of comparing the bacteriological content of the water at different seasons, and, as they accumulate, from year to year. 54. Housing.—Improvement in housing conditions is progressing slowly— it must be confessed, much too slowly. Owing to depression in trade and the general want of ready money, most of the owners of premises on whom notices are served to abate insanitary conditions of a structural character express themselves as being willing but unable to comply with the requirements of the notices, and apply for long extensions of the time specified for the completion of the necessary works. 55. Many of them ask that the works be performed by the Local Authority and the cost made payable on easy terms, as was done after the introduction of the sewerage system. This is well worthy of the serious consideration of the Local Authority, having regard to the improvement in the sanitary condition of the City which would rapidly follow if some such plan were adopted. 56. Drainage.—The breeding of mosquitoes in the Dry River, Woodbrook and Maraval River has been controlled by gangs regularly at work in these places, filling in holes, cleaning drains and straightening their course, and oiling pools : 4,415 gallons of crude oil were effectually used in the latter process. SANITARY WORK. 57. A short summary of some of the principal items of work done^ or caused to be done, by the sanitary staff to 30th September is compared below with last year’s activities — Table IV. Sanitary work done or caused to be done. 1924. 1925- Jan.-Sept. Jan.-Sept. Sanitary Inspectors’ visits to premises .. 79,867 81,622 Notices and verbal directions complied with 18,511 18,522 Cesspits sprayed with ciude oil for enteric fever (free) 8,511 7,264 Offensive cesspits sprayed with crude oil (paid for) 3.49S 4,519 Premises disinfected for Infectious Diseases 525 34° Premises disinfected for Vermin 448 455 Railway coaches disinfected for Leprosy 17 26 Visits to premises of Anti-mosquito Inspectors and men 16,984 17,326 Barracks ventilated and roofs closeboarded • 155 89 Cesspits emptied 980 957 Sewer basins cleaned 999 962 New Privies and Cesspits constructed 3*1 222 Privies repaired or made flyproof 775 723 Yards cleaned 2,832 2,786 Drains cleaned 1,835 1,492 Sinks and Gullies cleaned ' . . 74i 767 Washing troughs and washing platforms cleaned . . 656 567 Drains constructed or repaired 441 379 Sanitary Dustbins provided, repaired or covered . . 1,218 1,476 Premises cleared of bush 330 3H Accumulations of manure removed 535 447 Privies limewashed 914 973 Premises limewashed (Barracks, Stables, Cowsheds, Factories, Shops, &c.) 423 783 Rats bought 472 494 Rats caught 4,219 3A99 Total rats destroyed . . 4,691 3,693 58. Anti-plague work.—Of a total of 3,693 rats, including bounty rats and rats caught by the rat catchers, 3,635 were examined by the Government Bacteriologist and found to be free from evidences of plague infection.