London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Mile End 1865

Report of the Medical Officer of Health to the Vestry of the Hamlet Mile End Old Town

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REPORT.
Gentlemen,
In accordance with the requirements of the
"Metropolis Local Management Act" I present to yon
my Annual Report on the sanitary condition of the
Hamlet of Mile End Old Town.
Before proceeding to the consideration of the facts
derived from the experience of the past year, it will be
as well, perhaps, to refer to a subject which is just now
creating a certain amount of uneasiness in the public
mind—namely, the appearance of Cholera in Egypt,
Turkey, and Italy. In anticipation of the possibility
of its reaching our shores, the Privy Council have issued
a circular, similar to that which was put forth by the
same authority in 1859. The various hints, rides, and
cautions therein contained are easy to be understood,
and capable of ready application, by those who value
their own health or care for that of their neighbours.
They may, indeed, be summed up in a simple sentence
—personal and household cleanliness, the employment
of disinfectants where there is effluvium, abundant
ventilation, the use of wholesome water for drinking,
and the persistence in regular habits of life. These
regulations, necessary at all times, are especially valuable
when there is a dread of coming sickness, besides
forming in their practice a sort of education, the importance
of which is very great.