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 1900
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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at the end of the year was 528, providing accommodation for 28,311persons. Seven of these
houses were registered for the first time in 1900. In the supervision of these houses the Council's
inspectors made 29,097 inspections, of which number 28,428 visits were made to registered, and
1,069 visits were made to unregistered houses. In addition to these, 1,539 visits have been made
to seamen's lodging-houses, 662 night visits to common lodging-houses, and 6 night visits to
unregistered houses where it was suspected that lodgers were received.
Preliminary notices have been served in 240 cases. Proceedings before the magistrate
were instituted in 16 cases, resulting in 13 convictions, fines being inflicted amounting in the
aggregate to £90 15s. and £12 costs. Of the remaining three cases, one summons was dismissed,
one adjourned sine die, and the other was withdrawn.
The number of cases of infectious disease reported in these houses was as follows—
Diphtheria 6, enteric 9, erysipelas 21, measles 1, scarlet fever 3, or 40 in all.
The number of deaths from various causes reported in these houses was 91.
The following table shows the number of common lodging-houses, the authorised number of
lodgets in such houses at the end of 1900, and the number of houses registered for the first time in
each sanitary district during the year—
| Sanitary district. | Number of common lodging-houses. | Authorised number of lodgers. | Number of houses registered in 1900. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battersea | 6 | 234 | - |
| Bermondsey | 3 | 208 | — |
| Bethnal-green | 15 | 484 | 3 |
| Camberwell | 10 | 622 | — |
| Chelsea | 17 | 841 | — |
| Clerkenwell | 5 | 299 | — |
| Fulham | 1 | 51 | — |
| Greenwich | 16 | 753 | — |
| Hackney | 10 | 475 | — |
| Hammersmith | 9 | 550 | — |
| Hampstead. | 1 | 35 | — |
| Holborn | 12 | 667 | — |
| Islington | 44 | 1,347 | 1 |
| Kensington | 33 | 968 | 1 |
| Lambeth | 10 | 701 | — |
| Lewisham | 2 | 46 | — |
| Limehouse | 21 | 864 | — |
| Marylebone | 18 | 873 | — |
| Mile-end | 3 | 122 | — |
| Newington | 12 | 1,423 | — |
| Paddington | 3 | 71 | — |
| Poplar | 13 | 948 | — |
| Rotherhithe | 3 | 116 | — |
| St. George-in-the-East | 18 | 527 | |
| St. George-the-Martyr, Southwark | 30 | 1,533 | — |
| St. Giles | 30 | 1,707 | — |
| St. James | 1 | 88 | — |
| St. Luke | 4 | 240 | — |
| St. Martin-in-the-Fields | 4 | 170 | — |
| St. Olave | 1 | 533 | — |
| St. Pan eras | 18 | 975 | 1 |
| St. Saviour, Southwark | 17 | 885 | — |
| Shoreditch | 14 | 760 | — |
| Stoke Newington | 1 | 37 | — |
| Strand | 11 | 620 | — |
| Wandsworth | 10 | 2294/2 | — |
| Westminster | 14 | 1,253 | — |
| Whitechapel | 53 | 5,213 | — |
| Woolwich | 35 | *841½ | — |
| Total | 528 | 28,311½ | 7 |
* £ = 1 child under 10 years of age.
During the year the Council had under consideration reports as to disturbances in common
lodging-houses, and as to the need for better control of such houses in respect of disorderly
conduct. The Council resolved to inform the Local Government Board that the Council was of
opinion that the power of annually licensing common lodging-houses was needed. The Local
Government Board informed the Council that the question of proposing legislation on the
matter was under consideration.
Customs and Inland Revenue Acts, 1890 and 1891.
The proceedings of medical officers of health under these Acts as shown in the annual
reports were as follows—In Paddington " no certificates had been issued, but much work was in