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
Lewisham 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lewisham Borough]
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Table 24—
| Nuisance | West | North | South | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flushing cisterns repaired, renewed or cleansed | 5 | 5 | ||
| Flush pipes repaired or renewed | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Firegrates repaired | 17 | 24 | 5 | 46 |
| Flooring repaired or renewed | 50 | 55 | 22 | 127 |
| Dry rot remedied | 3 | 6 | 2 | 11 |
| Gullies renewed, repaired or cleansed | 4 | 7 | — | 11 |
| Gutters repaired | 9 | 21 | 7 | 37 |
| Refuse cleared | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Rainwater pipes repaired | 7 | 16 | 4 | 27 |
| Soil pipes repaired, ventilated or renewed | — | — | 2 | 2 |
| Sinks provided | 1 | 1 | — | 2 |
| Sashcords renewed | 16 | 19 | 14 | 49 |
| Water closets repaired or renewed | 5 | 11 | 3 | 19 |
| Walls and ceilings cleansed | 17 | 2 | — | 19 |
| Windows and frames renewed or repaired | 64 | 81 | 24 | 169 |
| Water service pipes repaired or renewed, water supply restored | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Yards and areas paved | 3 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| Windows glazed | 5 | 9 | 5 | 19 |
| Woodwork painted | 5 | 3 | 6 | 14 |
| Other nuisances remedied | 89 | 75 | 51 | 215 |
| TOTALS | 566 | 798 | 265 | 1629 |
Water certificates
Under the provisions of section 95 of the Public Health (London)
Act, 1936, an occupied house without a proper and sufficient water
supply is a nuisance and if a dwelling-house, is unfit for human habitation.
Further, it is not lawful to occupy a house as a dwelling-house, subject
to certain provisos, until the sanitary authority has certified that it
has a proper and sufficient supply of water.
Certificates were issued in respect of 200 premises and 8 blocks of
flats certifying that under the provisions of the Public Health (London)
Act, 1936, a proper and sufficient supply of water had been provided.
Factories
Section 7 of the Factories Act, 1937, requiring the provision of
sufficient and suitable sanitary conveniences is enforced by the council
in all factories, whether mechanical power is used in the factory or not.
The provisions of sections 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 relating to cleanliness,
overcrowding, the maintenance of a reasonable temperature, the
securing of adequate ventilation of workrooms and the furnishing of
adequate means for draining floors where wet processes are carried on,
are enforced by the council in factories in which mechanical power is
not used. The provisions of section 7 are also applied to certain building
operations and works of engineering construction, etc.