London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Holborn 1930
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Holborn Borough]
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43
In some cases washhouse accommodation, although provided, was not used; a
few tenants find it more convenient to avail themselves of the facilities for laundry
work provided at the public baths and washhouses; others send the laundry out to
a " bag wash " and some do the washing in the living room.
Constant efforts are made by the Inspectors to persuade tenants to discontinue
this latter practice and use the washhouse in houses where this accommodation is
available.
| Dirty rooms | 104 |
| Dirty staircases | 18 |
| Rooms verminous | 23 |
| Houses generally old and worn | 7 |
| Roofs defective | 30 |
| Floors defective or uneven | 38 |
| Staircase treads, walls, etc., worn and defective | 35 |
| Walls bulging or defective | 10 |
| Walls and ceilings dilapidated | 16 |
| Window sashes and frames defective | 30 |
| Sash lines broken and defective | 19 |
| Dampness | 10 |
| Ventilation; rooms or staircases | 18 |
| Lighting; rooms dark or insufficiently lighted | 26 |
| Drain defective | 1 |
| Open gully in room | 1 |
| Waterclosets; defective | 3 |
| Waterclosets; ventilation defective | 3 |
The cleansing of the dirty rooma has in many cases heen carried out since the date of
the inspection, or will be done in connection with the next annual cleansing as required by the
lodging house By-laws.
In connection with the other unsatisfactory conditions enumerated above, the works
required to remedy the defects have been carried out in a number of houses; in others notices
have been served where the defects could be regarded as " nuisances " under the Public
Health (London) Act, 1891. It must of course be remembered that nearly all the houses in
the area that have been inspected are by no means new houses, and conditions similar to
those indicated in the above table must be expected in such property, particularly when a
house, not' designed for the purpose, is used for housing a number of families. All these
houses and similar property in other parts of the Borough need constant supervision to
ensure the required standard of cleanliness and general sanitation.