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
Whitechapel 1885
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Whitechapel]
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Table G.—Sanitary Work performed by the Inspectors.
| Quarter ending April 4th. | Quarter ending July 4th. | Quarter ending October 3rd. | Quarter ending January 2nd. | Totals for the Year 1885. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers of Inspections of Houses as shewn in the Official Returns | 2695 | 3215 | 2361 | 2177 | 10448 |
| Houses specially visited | 340 | 344 | 359 | 263 | 1306 |
| „ „ re-visited | 1360 | 1376 | 1436 | 1052 | 5224 |
| Preliminary Notices served, such Notices embracing 2148 premises | 310 | 363 | 262 | 282 | 1217 |
| Compulsory Orders issued, embracing 976 premises. | 148 | 77 | 74 | 122 | 421 |
| Summonses heard at Police Court under Sanitary Act | 9 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 25 |
| „ under Act for the Prevention of Adulteration of Food, &c. | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Cellars used as dwellings discontinued for such use | 3 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 19 |
| Cases of overcrowding and indecent occupation abated | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Houses in which rooms or passages have been whitewashed | 195 | 185 | 158 | 106 | 644 |
| Ventilation of houses improved | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Booms disinfected with sulphurous acid gas after the occurrence of small-pox, fever, and scarlet-fever therein | 73 | 74 | 40 | 19 | 206 |
| Articles consisting of beds, bedding, clothing, &c, removed from rooms to the stone-yard and disinfected in the apparatus | 2356 | 3230 | 1312 | 798 | 7696 |
| Articles burnt by consent | 75 | 81 | 129 | 55 | 340 |
| Yards of houses paved or the pavement repaired | 144 | 122 | 89 | 127 | 482 |
| Drains in houses improved | 70 | 94 | 75 | 76 | 315 |
| Dust-bins provided or improved | 92 | 51 | 38 | 54 | 235 |
| Closets lime-washed, cleansed and repaired | 216 | 298 | 243 | 124 | 881 |
| Closets provided with a flushing apparatus and water supply | 105 | 224 | 288 | 211 | 828 |
| Insufficient closet accommodation—an additional closet provided | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Defective water fittings to closets repaired | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 13 |
| Water-supply improved | 34 | 91 | 122 | 58 | 305 |
| Nuisances from dung and other offensive matter removed | 34 | 43 | 28 | 28 | 133 |
| Area gratings, cellar flaps, &c. repaired | 0 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 13 |
| Nuisance from prolonged retention of dead body, removed | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Houses closed by Magistrate's order, or by consent, as unfit for human habitation | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Visits to Cow-houses in the District | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 84 |
| Visits to Slaughter-houses in the District | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 52 |
| Visits to Bakehouses in the District | 42 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 86 |
| Samples, under Food and Drugs Act, submitted to Analyst | 40 | 43 | 40 | 39 | 162 |
Of the 162 samples submitted to the Analyst 11 were certified as 'Adulterated'; the vendors of some of these were summoned before a
magistrate and fined, and the remainder were cautioned by the Inspectors.
A Bakehouse was closed in consequence of its insanitary condition. In private dwellings where fowls have been kept so as to constitute a
nuisance, such nuisance has been abated. Notices of dangerous structures have been forwarded to the Metropolitan Board, and by that
Board promptly attended to.
Newman's Building's, Pelham Street.—The waterclosets which were a constant nuisance in these dwellings, have been removed into the open
space in the rear with much benefit.