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
Islington 1902
Forty-seventh annual report on the health and sanitary condition of the Borough of Islington
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165
[1902
These inspections and visits would not have had any significance if they had not left behind them the record of much good work, which has been mentioned from time to time in the Annual and Quarterly Reports of your Medical Officer of Health. Among the matters dealt with were the following:—
| 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | 1899 | 1900 | 1901 | 1902 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overcrowding | 26 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 22 | 14 | 4 | 107 |
| Ventilation | 14 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 46 |
| Dirty rooms | 311 | 195 | 109 | 99 | 217 | 218 | 231 | 1.380 |
| Drains | 554 | 458 | 375 | 313 | 216 | 177 | 90 | 2,183 |
| W.C.’s | 420 | 325 | 341 | 355 | 411 | 375 | 154 | 2,381 |
| Water supplies | 79 | 41 | 35 | 20 | 19 | 13 | 83 | 290 |
| Surface drains | 79 | 109 | 37 | 50 | 78 | 81 | 2 | 487 |
| Cleansing | 412 | 375 | 393 | 424 | 437 | 387 | 558 | 2,986 |
Here it is seen that considerable improvements have been effected during
the last seven years by the Inspectors. It does not, however, nearly represent
the change that has occurred, as the mere enumeration of nuisances dealt
with never do. The improvements have been general and continuous, so that
to-day many of the workplaces are altogether unlike what they were before
the regular inspections were undertaken by special inspectors.
Registers. To keep the registers up-to-date is an important item of
the work of the Inspectors, more particularly that of Miss Gray, who has
to deal with a large number of workrooms in which the female outworkers of
large firms in the city and other places do their work, which is for the most part
the making of ladies’ and childrens’ clothing.
There were 1,667 workshops, workplaces, laundries and bakehouses on
the register, in 583 of which men only were employed, and in 1,084 of which
women only worked. These places consisted of 2,682 rooms, of which 870
were belonging to the workshops in which men worked, and 1,812 in
the workplaces in which women made their living. The particulars respecting
these places are as follows:—
Dressmakers, Ladies’
Tailors, etc. 404 workplaces containing 526 workrooms.
Laundries 199 ,, „ 510 „
Tailors 22 „ „ 23 „
Shoemakers 67 ,, „ 76 „
Pianforte Makers 51 „ „ 159 „
Cycle Makers 11 „ „ 8 „
Bakehouses 263 „ „ 276 „
Miscellaneous 650 „ „ 1,094 „