London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Battersea 1896

Report upon the public health and sanitary condition of the Parish of St. Mary, Battersea during the year1896

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have improved upon it until we are at the present time somewhat
short of the standard of excellence. The plans of the Surveyor,
if carried out, will provide a building far in advance of the
majority of Metropolitan Mortuaries, but there is a difficulty in
obtaining the necessary additional land.
and Indian This Act, which is simply an extension of the
Revenue Actts,1891. provisions of the Customs and Inland Revenue Act,
1890, exempting houses structurally fitted in the
opinion of the Medical Officer of Health for occupation as
separate tenements at an annual rental not exceeding £20 from
the liability to house duty. The 1891 Act raises the amount to
£^0 annual rental. These Acts have added much to the duties
of the Medical Officer, as personal inspection is imperative and
certain forms of certificate have to be sent by him to the Surveyor
of Taxes. Many hundreds of tenements have been inspected and
certified since the Act came into force in January, 1891, and
many flats are now being built and converted in the parish in
order to obtain exemption or abatement of the house duty. The
numbers inspected yearly from 1890, in which two hundred and
forty.three were inspected, and after the execution of necessary
works re.inspected and certified were for 1891, one hundred and
nineteen; for 1892, one hundred and sixty.five; for 1893, two
hundred and one; for 1894 1895, each ninety.one; during
1896, one hundred and twenty ; being a total of one thousand and
thirty tenements.
Table XV. sets out the character and forms of sickness
under the care of the District Medical Officers of the parish poor
during 1896. As the districts have been entirely reconstructed
and increased in number during the year from three to five, no
comparisons can be usefully gone into, as in former years.