London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
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]
This page requires JavaScript
12
13
SANITARY OFFICERS.
| 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. | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average per sanitary inspector. | No. of bouses let in lodgings on the register. | No. of times a year these houses are inspected. ' | |||||||||||||||
| Inspectors. | Health visitors. | ||||||||||||||||
| Inhabited houses. | Tenements. | Tenements under 5 rooms. | Overcrowded tenements. | Population. | Population in tenements under 5 rooms. | Population in overcrowded tenements. | |||||||||||
| Men. | Women. | ||||||||||||||||
| Poplar | 3 | 1 | l | 195 | Also receive £1 per annum each under unsound food regulations. | 2,513 | 3,976 | 2,913 | 490 | 18,758 | 11,722 | 3,078 | 1044 | A large number very frequently and many also at night. 2,953 inspections in 1909. | Seven have each an assigned duty in which they carry out duties under the Public Health, Metropolis Management, Factory and Workshop, Food and Drugs, Canal Boats, and Housing and Town Planning Acts. Three of these inspectors act also as assistant officers under the Unsound Food Regulations. One visits houses let in lodgings. The woman inspector visits all places where female labour is employed and sanitary offices of schools for girls. She also makes enquiries under London County Council General Powers Act as to verminous clothing. The health visitor is also the Organising Secretary of the Poplar Health Visiting Association, comprising some 60 voluntary workers. | (a) 1 chief and 4 disinfecting assistants. | 5 (one a certified Sanitary In-spector, London). |
| 3 | 194 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 180 | (6) 5 labourers (who assist inspectors). | |||||||||||||||
| Seven of these inspectors receive in addition £5 per annum for work under Canal Boats Acts. | |||||||||||||||||
| 185 | (c) 1 female attendant at the Glaucus-street shelter. | ||||||||||||||||
| 140 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | 1 | l | |||||||||||||||
| St. Mary lebone | 1 | 1 | 168½ | Also receives £6½ per annum for new drainage work. | 967 | 2,258 | 1,639 | 370 | 9,521 \ | 5,297 | 2,010 | 292 | At least twice a year. All premises are being reregistered as rapidly as possible. | Five inspectors have each an allotted district in which they carry out all the duties arising under the Public Health and cognate Acts. Two inspectors supervise all drainage work, whether reconstructive or new work, but in addition do some work of a general character. One food inspector takes samples under the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts. One makes house to house inspections and visits houses let in lodgings. One supervises the sanitary conveniences, the public mortuary, the work of disinfection, etc. The temporary inspector acts as dust inspector. Three women inspectors carry out duties under the Factory and Workshop Act, the Cleansing of Persons Act, the Notification of Births Act, inspect schools and inquire into infant mortality and cases of phthisis. | (a) 3 disinfecting assistants. | 1 chief and 2 assistant | |
| 1 | 110 | Also receives £60 per annum as superintendent of sanitary conveniences and mortuary. | (b) mortuary keeper. | clerks. 1 office boy | |||||||||||||
| 1 | 170 | (e) caretaker of shelter(female). | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | 110 | Also £56 per annum new drainage work. | (d) 1 bath attendant. | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | 160 | (e) 1 female attendant (part time). | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | 100 | Also £56 per annum new drainage work. | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | 155 | (f) 1 messenger | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | 150 | Also £6½ per annum new drainage work. | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | 136½ | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 104 | Temporary inspector. | |||||||||||||||
| 160 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 107 | Also £13 per annum for health visiting. | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | 104 | ||||||||||||||||
| *11 | 3 | — | |||||||||||||||
| St. Pan cras | 3 | 1 | 225 | Also receives £35 per annum for health visiting. | 1,395 | 3,355 | 2,648 | 597 | 13,842 | 9,164 | 3,319 | 2288 at end of 1909. | Twice a year. | Thirteen inspectors have each an assigned district in which they deal with infectious diseases, complaints, drainage and nuisances generally. One of these inspectors also carries out duties under the Food and Drugs Acts, and the by-laws regulating slaughterhouses and dairies and the periodical inspection of food in his own district. Two inspectors carry out solely the duties under the Food and Drugs Acts, and the by-laws regulating slaughterhouses and dairies. They also periodically inspect food places. One of these inspectors carries out duties under the Canal Boats Act. Two women inspectors divide between them the inspection oi factories, workshops and workplaces where women are employed They visit houses where births have occurred, homes of verminous children, and notified cases of phthisis. | (a) 1 foreman and 3 disinfecting assistants | 1 chief clerk, 7 assistant clerks. | |
| 8 | 200 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 190 | ||||||||||||||||
| (b) caretaker oi mortuary and coroner's court and 1 contact shelter attendant and at-tendant at cleansing station and children's baths. | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 180 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 120 | ||||||||||||||||
| 150 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 105 | ||||||||||||||||
| 15 | 2 | — | |||||||||||||||
| Shore ditch | 4 | l | 185¼ | Including £20 per annum for market duty, and £5¼ for Saturday and Sunday duty. | 2,124 | 4,505 | 3,823 | 1,045 | 19,773 | 14,930 | 5,921 | 258 | If found on inspection to be kept in a satisfactory sanitary condition once a year only If not, the houses are inspected as often as may be necessary to secure improvement Some houses have required frequent visits at short intervals. 293 visits in 1909 | Each of the six inspectors has an allotted district in which he performs the various duties arising under the Public Health and Factory and Workshop Acts, including the abatement of smoke nuisances, the supervision of drainage work, both in new and existing houses, and the testing of drains. Each inspector is required to take four samples per fortnight under the Food and Drugs Acts and from time to time to be on duty in the street markets on Saturday evenings and on Sundays with a view to taking samples and watching the quality of the food stuff exposed for sale. The inspectors are not restricted to their own districts for taking samples under the Food and Drugs Acts. One of the inspectors is on duty for the purposes of food inspection and for taking samples under the Food and Drugs Acts on each evening of the week between 6 and 10 p.m Two inspectors are on duty on Saturday evenings and on Sunday mornings. The health visitor acts under the Notification of Births Act. | (a) 1 general assistant. | 3 | |
| 1 | 165¼ | (b) 1 disinfector and 2 assistants | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | 145 | Including £25 per annum for market and Saturday and Sunday duty. | (c) 1 mortuary keeper. | ||||||||||||||
| 100 | (d) caretaker(fe-male) of shelter | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | — | l | |||||||||||||||
*Including one temporary inspector.