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 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Holborn Borough]
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53
Enquiries in Notified Cases of Rheumatism.
Enquiries into the housing conditions of the notified cases showed that 28 lived in
satisfactory artisan self-contained fiats; 19 lived in satisfactory artisan homes in divided
houses of a comfortable type (a better class of house let in lodgings); 28 lived in houses let
in lodgings; 5 lived in artisan dwellings of an old type, not self-contained, but superior to
ordinary houses let in lodgings; and two were not; traced as a result of incorrect addresses,
ix of these children have removed from the Borough.
It is somewhat curious to note the incidence of acute rheumatism in satisfactory homes.
Dampness in Houses.
Dampness was found in only three houses, due to temporary nuisances which were
remedied.
Lighting and Ventilation.
One child lived in a semi-basement flat, and although the lighting was not good, the flat
was wc"ll built and the street and courtyard adjoining fairly wide, so that lighting and
ventilation compared not unfavourably with upper floors in narrow streets and small courtyards.
In three other cases the lighting was poor.
Most of the remaining homes were well ventilated and the lighting good; in no case was
ventilation or lighting markedly unsatisfactory.
Overcrowding and Sleeping Accommodation.
There was no evidence of legal overcrowding in any of the houses; this standard is notably low however. The sleeping arrangements are given in the following table:—
| No. of Rheumatic Children | Separate Room | Separate Bed in Living Room | Separate Bed in Room shared with | Bed shared with | Bed shared in living room with | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults | Children | Adults and Children | Adults | Children | Adults and Children | Child | Adults a.nd Children | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 1 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||
| 79 | 6 | • 5 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 79 | 6 | 5 | 32 | 34 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
* Exclusive of two cases where wrong addresses given, and one where the patient died shortly
after the date of notification.
It will be seen that only six children had a separate rcom; thirty-two had a separate bed in
a shared room; thirty-four shared a bed, seven of these with more than one person; seven
ohildren had a bed in the living room, a very unsatisfactory arrangement, seeing the child is
disturbed by the late and uncertain hours of going to bed kept by the rest of the family, and
also the possibility of disturbance at an early or earlyisli hour in the morning.
In some instances where the beds were shared, the reason given was the small size of the
rooms which made it difficult to get other beds in; whether the bunk bed is a possible solution
of this difficulty is not clear, ashore it is an innovation and therefore not popular. Moreover,
it is not obtainable at many shops and second-hand stalls, and its existence is overlooked. It
is not hygienic for anyone to share a bed.
Social Conditions.
Five children live in one-room homes. In eight homes there is a history of chronic
poverty, but without acute distress; in one of these the mother has been many years widowed;