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

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Islington 1870

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Parish of St Mary]

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bedding has been removed and cannot be traced. The dwellings in
Rose and Crown Court have been recommended by your Surveyor for
demolition.
In one of the more recent returns of the Registrar General, a note is
quoted as having been appended to the certificate of death of a child at
11, Bowman's Place, North, from 'sewer-poisoning,' that "the house was
inspected in the summer and something was promised to be done." On
inquiry I found that the child had died from ulceration of the mouth,
no doubt properly attributed by the certifying surgeon, Mr. Kesteven,
to its true cause. It was found that some rat holes communicated with
a receiver or cesspool in the water closet, which was not known
previously to exist, as no complaint of bad smells had ever been made
by the occupiers of the house. The owner of this and the adjoining
house is under orders now to reconstruct the drainage. Other
neighbouring dwellings have also been inspected by my direction, and
it is probable that I shall consider them proper subjects for report
under the Artizans' and Labourers' Dwellings' Act. We have always
had much trouble with these houses, which, originally badly constructed,
have never been able to be dealt with efficiently under the Acts
hitherto in force.

METEOROLOGY OF JANUARY.

Thermometers 4 feet from ground.Degree of Atmospheric Humidity, Saturation being represented by 100.Rain in inchcs, read at 9 a.m., Collected on the ground. Sum.Number of days on which Rain fell in appreciable quantity. Sum.
Mean of Daily Values.Mean of Highest Temperatures.Mean of Lowest Temperatures.Mean Daily Range of Temp.
Weekending Jan. 8th46.4°48.9°43.5°5.4°860.687
„ „ 15th39.9°44.3°35.6°8.7°870.525
„ 22nd36.7°38.4°35.3"3.2°840.073
,,29th31.9°37.4°27.1°10.3°900.011
Means.38.7°42.2°35.3°6.9°86Sum. 1.28Sum. 16

The highest day temperature, observed on January 7th was 510°
The lowest night temperature, observed on January 28th was 21.5°.
EDWARD BALLARD, M.D.,
Medical Officer of Health.
Vestry Offices,
February 5th, 1870.