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
City of Westminster 1910
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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75
Removal of Offensive Refuse.—Complaints were made of offensive
smells in a number of instances occurring during the removal of
kitchen refuse from hotels, &c. Three persons were cautioned for
removing refuse during prohibited hours and one prosecution was taken as follows :—
| [Name and Address of Defendant. | Offence. | Result. |
|---|---|---|
| John Cornwell, Westfield Farm, Weston Road, Mitcham | Removing offensive matter during prohibited hours | Fined 20s. and 2s. costs. |
A summons is not taken out unless the person offending has been
previously cautioned. A contractor engaged in dust removal was
cautioned against removal of bones and other offensive matter from
one of the Council's wharves in improper receptacles.
Daily Removal of House Refuse.—In my last report I mentioned
that daily removal of house refuse was in force in the City with the
exception of one locality. I am glad to be able to say that during
1910 that part has been brought into line. Inquiry having been made
as to the existence of any statistics bearing upon health conditions
before and after the institution of a daily collection, I have compared
the mortality returns for two periods of nine years each of a block of
Peabodv Buildings, dailv collections having been instituted in 1901. The
The average annual population is 1,391, of which 242 are under five years of age, and is fairly constant in each period.
| 1891.99. Before. | 1901.09. After. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total deaths | 220 | 184 |
| Rate per 1,000 | 15.8 | 13.2 |
| Deaths under 5 | 105 | 73 |
| Rate per 1,000 | 43.0 | 301 |
| Deaths over 5 | 115 | 111 |
| Rate per 1,000 | 100 | 9.7 |
| Deaths from the principal zymotic diseases:— | ||
| Small.pox | 3 | |
| Scarlet fever | 3 | 1 |
| Diphtheria | 10 | 3 |
| Typhoid fever | — | — |
| Measles | 19 | 2 |
| Whooping.cough | 4 | 5 |
| Diarrhoea | 10 | 4 |
| Total | 46 | 18 |
| = 3.3 per 1,000 | = 1.3 per 1,000 | |