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 1894
The annual report on the sanitary condition of the Whitechapel District, (with vital and other statistics), for the year 1894 (consisting of 52 weeks) being the eleventh annual report
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T able P.—SANITARY AND OTHER WORK PERFORMED BY THE INSPECTORS.
| Classification of Work. | Quarter ended Mar. 31st. | Quarter ended Time 30th. | Quarter endedSept. 29th. | Quarter ended Dec. 29th. | Totals for the year. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers of Inspections of Houses as shown in the Official Returns | 4791 | 5984 | 5204 | 5135 | 21114 |
| Houses specially visited | 577 | 950 | 757 | 320 | 2604 |
| Preliminary notices served | 737 | 614 | 729 | 529 | 2609 |
| Compulsory orders issued | 108 | 176 | 122 | 122 | 528 |
| Number of letters sent | 146 | 182 | 178 | 155 | 661 |
| Number of telegrams sent | 22 | 18 | 35 | 24 | 99 |
| Summonses taken out under Public Health (London) Act | 9 | 15 | 6 | 16 | 46 |
| „ „ Adulteration of Food and Drugs Acts | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| „ „ Housing of the Working Classes Act | 10 | .. | .. | .. | 10 |
| Cellars used as dwellings caused to be discontinued to be so used | 6 | 15 | 16 | 3 | 40 |
| Cases of overcrowding and indecent occupation abated | 19 | 13 | 40 | 13 | 85 |
| Housing in which walls and ceilings have been cleansed or repaired | 275 | 272 | 199 | 96 | 842 |
| Roofs of houses repaired | 84 | 44 | 58 | 55 | 241 |
| Ventilation of houses improved | 6 | 5 | 59 | 25 | 95 |
| Houses in which floorings of rooms, staircases, risers or treads, window-sashes and frames, baluster rails, or fire stoves have been repaired | 51 | 179 | 78 | 39 | 347 |
| Damp courses to houses inserted | .. | 10 | 16 | 2 | 28 |
| Passage and staircases of houses provided with light | .. | .. | 1 | .. | 1 |
| Eave-gutters and stack-pipes provided or repaired | 72 | 67 | 64 | 64 | 267 |
| Nuisances from smoke abated | 2 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 19 |
| Rooms disinfected with sulphurous acid gas after the occurrence of cases of infectious disease | 174 | 206 | 200 | 142 | 722 |
| Articles consisting of beds, bedding, clothing, etc., removed and disinfected | 3879 | 6185 | 4932 | 3031 | 18027 |
| Articles burnt by consent | .. | 3 | 5 | .. | 8 |
| Hackney carriages disinfected | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 1 |
| Courts and yards of houses paved, or paving repaired | 117 | 99 | 178 | 114 | 508 |
| Drainage of houses altered, improved or reconstructed | 137 | 129 | 154 | 107 | 527 |
| Traps to drains in houses, yards or courts improved | 177 | 126 | 281 | 195 | 779 |
| Closet pans and traps re-set | 59 | 60 | 92 | 56 | 267 |
| Closets provided with light and ventilation | 2 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 32 |
| Closets provided with a water supply and flushing apparatus, or defective water fittings repaired | 120 | 133 | 198 | 98 | 549 |
| Closets cleansed or repaired | 217 | 286 | 284 | 146 | 933 |
| Walls of yards or courts limewashed | 32 | 95 | 113 | 41 | 281 |
| Water supply to houses provided or improved | 34 | 40 | 34 | 32 | 140 |
| Nuisances from dung and other offensive matter removed | 33 | 30 | 36 | 28 | 127 |
| Area-gratings, cellar-flaps, etc., repaired | 2 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 13 |
| Houses closed by Magistrate's order, or by consent, as unfit for human habitation | 13 | 11 | 16 | 3 | 43 |
| Dust-bins provided or repaired, or removed, and galvanised iron dust-pails substituted | 2 | 3 | 21 | 1 | 27 |
| Samples under Sale of Food and Drugs Act submitted to the public analyst | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 120 |
| Animals, kept so as to constitute a nuisance, removed | 1 | 1 | 8 | 10 | |
| Dead bodies removed to mortuary | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 14 |
| Shed used as a sleeping department, discontinued | .. | 1 | 1 | .. | 2 |
| Bakehouses cleansed | 2 | 6 | 4 | .. | 12 |
| Ventilation to bakehouses improved | .. | 3 | 2 | .. | 5 |
| Bakehouses closed | 2 | .. | .. | .. | 2 |
| Bakehouse used as a sleeping apartment discontinued | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 1 |
| Workshops cleansed | 46 | 58 | 60 | 17 | 181 |
| Ventilation of workshops improved | 27 | 65 | 84 | 27 | 203 |
| Overcrowding in workshops abated | 19 | 29 | 43 | 8 | 99 |
| Additional closet accommodation to workshops provided | 10 | 19 | 45 | 16 | 90 |
| Workshops closed | .. | 11 | 30 | 6 | 47 |
| Receptacles for dung provided and reconstructed | 13 | 2 | 16 | 4 | 35 |
| Cesspools abolished | .. | .. | .. | 6 | 6 |
In addition to the above, the Inspectors have had destroyed as unfit for human food during the year the following articles,
viz.:—3 ton 9 cwt. of Herrings; 1 barrel of Salmon; 6 trunks of Haddocks; 2 trunks of Gurnets; 2 barrels of Skate; 3 boxes of
Kippered Herrings; 2 casks of Pig's entrails; 13 barrels and 26 bushels of Apples; 30 boxes of Oranges; 26½ bushels of Pears;
53 baskets, 30 boxes, and l0½ bushels of Plums; 71 baskets, 4 boxes, and 2 bushels of Cherries; 23 baskets of Black Currants; 26
Melons; 16 boxes of Tomatoes; 28 sacks of Peas ; 10 hampers of Cucumbers; 5 bushels of Chestnuts 3bushels of Onions; 1 basket
of Mushrooms; 120 Cabbages and 2 cases and 700 of Eggs.