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 1909
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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| Metropolitan borough. | Number of sanitary officers. | Annual salary on 1st July, 1910. | Other details. | Census 1901. | Houses let in lodgings. | Duties of sanitary inspector. | Assistants. | Clerical staff. | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of houses let in lodgings on the register | No. of times a year these houses are inspected. | ||||||||||||||||
| Average per sanitary inspector. | |||||||||||||||||
| Inspectors. | Health visitors. | ||||||||||||||||
| Inhabited houses | Tenements. | Tenements under 5 rooms | Overcrowded tenements. | Population. | Population in tenement b under 5 rooms. | Population in overcrowded tenements. | |||||||||||
| Men. | Women. | ||||||||||||||||
| Kensington | l | 300 | Chief Inspector. | 1,702 | 2,950 | 1,624 | 354 | 13,587 | 5,648 | 2,016 | 2092 | Variable, according to requirement of individual cases. | The chief inspector exercises supervision. Ten have each an allotted district, in which they are concerned with all duties arising under the Public Health (London) Act, the Factory and Workshops Acts, and the Housing of the Working Classes Acts. They also obtain samples under the Food and Drugs Acts. Two act at one time for three months and then are exempt from this duty for 12 months. No inspector collects samples for analysis in his own district. The two women inspectors are engaged mainly in the inspection of workshops, workplaces, laundries, etc., where females are employed, but also make inquiries into cases of pulmonary consumption, measles and whooping cough The two health visitors act in connection with the Notification of Births Act for the prevention of infant mortality | (a) an inquiry officer for cases of infectious diseases who is also overseer of disinfection of houses and infected articles, and 3 disinfectors, including one man who acts as engineer. | 5 | ||
| 10 | 200 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 150 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 100 | ||||||||||||||||
| (b) mortuary keeper. | |||||||||||||||||
| n | 2 | 2 | (e) sanitary labourer for assisting in testing drains. | ||||||||||||||
| Lambeth | 1 | 205 4/20 | Food Inspector. | 2,767 | 4,726 | 2,966 | 437 | 20,126 | 10,212 | 2,460 | 372 | Visited regularly once a year. | Twelve have each an allotted district, in which they are concerned with all duties arising under the Public Health and Factory and Workshop Acts. One inspector deals with smoke nuisances, and carries out. duties under the Food and Drugs Acts, assisted by a deputy. The district inspectors supervise the execution of drainage works in both new and old houses. The two women inspectors carry out duties under the Factory and Workshop Act, inspect underground conveniences and perform duties of a general character. The health visitor carries out duties under the Notification of Births Act for the prevention of infant mortality, and visits babies fed on milk from the Municipal Depot. | (a) 1 superintendent and 10 disinfecting assistants. | 4 and boy clerk | ||
| 10 | 184 11/20 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 163 18/20 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 133 ¼ | (b) 2 mortuary keepers and a deputy. | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | 153 18/20 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 112 12/20 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 102 12/20 | (c) 1 temporary caretaker of shelter(female). | |||||||||||||||
| 13 | 2 | 1 | (d) 1 manageress of milk depot. | ||||||||||||||
| Lewisham | 4 | 200 | 2,275 | 2,770 | 856 | 53 | 12,749 | 2,893 | 342 | 15 | Weekly. | Six have each an assigned district in which they carry out general sanitary duties. One is engaged on duties arising under the Factory and Workshop Act, smoke nuisances and special inspections. One is engaged in house-to-house inspection. Two women inspectors visit laundries, work places, &c., where females are employed, and make special investigations into cases of infectious disease, infant mortality, etc. | (a) 7 disinfecting assistants. | 3 | |||
| 1 | 195 | (b) 2 drain-testing assistants. | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | 190 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 150 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 125 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 105 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | 2 | — | |||||||||||||||
| Paddington | 2 | 250 | Meat and Food Inspector. | 1,607 | 3,060 | 1,983 | 309 | 13,089 | 6,657 | 1,775 | 1330 | Six or more times. | Five each supervise a district, performing all duties under the Public Health (London) Act; they take charge of drainage works in existing buildings, and attend to notified cases of infectious disease, but one also carries out duties under the Canal Boats Act, for which a separate salary is assigned. (N.B.—Drainage works in new buildings are under the direction of the surveyor.) One has supervision of workshops and work-places and is concerned with the enforcement of the Factory and Workshop Acts. Two attend to houses let in lodgings and the enforcement of by-laws under section 94 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891. One has to watch food supplies, and inspect slaughterhouses, cowsheds, dairies, refreshment houses, etc. Ice-cream inspection is also carried out by him, and he is inspector under the Sale of food and Drugs Acts. The two women inspectors visit all workplaces where women are employed and make inquiries into infectious diseases not scheduled for notification. They also do health visiting. | (a) mortuary keeper. | 5 | ||
| 1 | 220 | (b) 4 navvies (employed for opening defective drains, etc.). | |||||||||||||||
| 6 | 200 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 150 | ||||||||||||||||
| (c) 1 disinfecting assistant. | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | 2 | — | |||||||||||||||
1573
B 2