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
London County Council 1899
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Table 3.—Temperature Readings of the Atmosphere, of the Crude Sewage, of the Effluents from the Coke-beds and of the Interior of the Coke-beds of Series A. and B.
Temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit.
| Date. | Air. | Crude sewage. | Air. | Primary beds. | Air. | Secondary beds. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interior of bed A. | Effluent from bed A. | Effluent from bed B. | Interior of bed A 1. | Effluent from bed A 1. | Effluent from bed B 1. | |||||
| 1900 | ||||||||||
| Jan. 22 | 51.0 | 49.0 | 52.5 | 53.5 | 57.0 | 57.0 | 53.5 | 50.0 | 53.5 | 54.5 |
| 23 | 53.5 | 52.5 | 52.0 | 54.5 | 52.5 | 52.0 | 52.5 | 52.0 | 52.5 | 52.0 |
| 24 | 52.0 | 53.5 | 50.0 | 59.0 | 52.5 | 53.5 | 50.0 | 59.0 | 52.0 | 52.0 |
| 24 | 57.0 | 53.5 | 52.5 | 57.0 | 54.5 | 53.5 | 47.5 | 53.5 | 52.0 | 50.0 |
| 25 | 53.5 | 48.0 | 53.5 | 53.5 | 50.0 | 51.0 | 44.5 | 53.5 | 50.0 | 48.0 |
| 25 | 57.0 | 52.0 | 49.0 | 57.0 | 52.0 | 52.0 | 50.0 | 55.0 | 52.0 | 52.5 |
| 26 | 49.0 | 53.5 | 48.0 | 52.5 | 52.0 | 51.0 | 48.0 | 59.0 | 52.0 | 50.0 |
| 26 | 52.0 | 53.5 | 52.5 | 53.5 | 53.5 | 52.5 | 49.0 | 55.5 | 51.0 | 51.0 |
| 27 | 53.5 | 53.5 | 52.5 | 54.5 | 51.0 | 51.0 | 39.0 | 52.5 | 50.0 | 50.0 |
| 29 | 41.0 | 50.0 | 48.0 | 50.0 | 52.0 | 51.0 | 48.0 | 50.0 | 52.0 | 52.0 |
| 30 | 46.5 | 51.0 | 48.0 | 46.5 | 47.5 | 46.5 | 37.5 | 46.5 | 43.0 | 43.0 |
| 30 | 41.0 | 51.0 | 30.0 | 50.0 | 44.5 | 44.5 | 39.0 | 41.0 | 43.0 | 43.0 |
| 31 | 40.0 | 48.0 | 43.0 | 41.0 | 44.5 | 43.0 | 48.0 | 42.0 | 47.0 | 46.5 |
| 31 | 43.0 | 52.0 | 43.0 | 53.5 | 44.5 | 44.5 | 42.0 | 53.5 | 44.0 | 44.5 |
| Feb. 1 | 44.5 | 51.0 | 37.5 | 48.0 | 40.0 | 41.0 | 34.0 | 37.5 | 41.0 | 41.0 |
| 1 | 37.5 | 51.0 | 37.5 | 52.0 | 42.0 | 42.0 | 38.0 | 50.0 | 43.0 | 43.0 |
| 2 | 34.0 | 50.0 | 35.5 | 48.0 | 44.5 | 46.0 | 34.0 | 39.0 | 41.0 | 41.0 |
| 2 | 35.5 | 50.0 | 36.5 | 51.0 | 41.0 | 41.0 | 34.5 | 50.0 | 42.0 | 42.0 |
| 5 | 46.5 | 50.0 | 44.5 | 48.0 | 40.0 | 41.0 | 37.5 | 48.0 | 40.0 | 39.0 |
| 6 | 37.5 | 48.0 | 35.5 | 50.0 | 41.0 | 41.0 | 35.5 | 48.0 | 39.0 | 40.0 |
| 6 | 40.0 | 48.0 | 36.5 | 47.0 | 44.5 | 44.5 | 34.0 | 41.0 | 40.0 | 40.0 |
| 8 | 30.0 | 50.0 | 28.5 | 47.0 | 39.0 | 39.0 | 25.0 | 43.0 | 37.5 | 39.0 |
| 8 | 36.5 | 48.0 | 34.0 | 48.0 | 40.0 | 40.0 | 35.5 | 37.5 | 37.5 | 36.5 |
| 9 | 36.5 | 48.0 | 34.5 | 48.0 | 41.0 | 39.0 | 34.5 | 36.5 | 39.0 | 37.5 |
| 10 | 26.5 | 50.0 | 26.5 | 47.0 | 39.0 | 39.0 | 37.5 | 45.5 | 39.0 | 38.0 |
| 10 | 37.5 | 48.0 | 36.5 | 48.0 | 41.0 | 39.0 | 35.5 | 44.5 | 41.0 | 39.0 |
| Averages | 43.5 | 50.5 | 42.0 | 50.5 | 46.0 | 46.0 | 41.0 | 48.0 | 450 | 450 |
Table 4.—Percentage Composition of the Air at the Bottom of the Primary Coke-bed B.
| Date. | Number of hours bed stood empty. | Percentage of carbon dioxide. | Percentage of oxygen. | Date. | Number of hours bed stood empty. | Percentage of carbon dioxide. | Percentage of oxygen. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899. | 1899. | ||||||
| Oct. 19 | 22 | 1.6 | 17.4 | Nov. 17 | 17 | 8.0 | 10.5 |
| 20 | 20 | 3.0 | 15.6 | 20 | 68 | 2.0 | 16.4 |
| 23 | 19 | 4.2 | 14.8 | 21 | 17 | 4.0 | 15.0 |
| 24 | 19 | 8.8 | 4.0 | 22 | 17 | 6.0 | 12.4 |
| 25 | 19 | 11.4 | 1.4 | 23 | 19 | 8.0 | 12.1 |
| 28 | 43 | 8.0 | 6.4 | 24 | 19 | 7.6 | 12.2 |
| 31 | 19 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 28 | 19 | 8.6 | 6.0 |
| Nov. 1 | 19 | 5.0 | 7.4 | 29 | 19 | 7.6 | 6.4 |
| 2 | 20 | 4.0 | 10.0 | Dec. 1 | 19 | 8.8 | 3.2 |
| 3 | 20 | 3.6 | 9.8 | 5 | 19 | 7.5 | 6.1 |
| 4 | 38 | 3.6 | 10.2 | 7 | 19 | 8.8 | 3.0 |
| 6 | 19 | 7.0 | 8.2 | 8 | 19 | 4.0 | 13.0 |
| 7 | 19 | 8.6 | 4.2 | 12 | 19 | 5.8 | 11.8 |
| 9 | 19 | 4.0 | 16.0 | 13 | 19 | 5.0 | 11.8 |
| 10 | 16½ | 5.0 | 13.6 | 14 | 19 | 7.2 | 10.2 |
| 13 | 67 | 1.2 | 18.2 | 19 | 4 | 6.0 | 5.0 |
| 14 | 17 | 3.0 | 15.0 | 20 | 4 | 7.0 | 5.0 |
| 15 | 17 | 3.6 | 15.2 | 21 | 4 | 8.0 | 4.2 |
| 16 | 17 | 4.0 | 15.6 | 22 | 4 | 2.4 | 13.6 |
| Averages | 21 | 5.7 | 103 |
In pure atmospheric air the average percentage of carbon dioxide is 0.04, and of oxygen 20.96.