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

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Lambeth 1903

Report on the vital and sanitary statistics of the Borough of Lambeth during the year 1903

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76
viz., to prevent offensive smell passing from the water-closet into a
living-room or workshop. Further, where a lobby, or corridor,
leading to a water-closet, is constructed, such lobby, or corridor,
should be required to be ventilated to the outside air and
efficiently lighted.
With regard to Bye-law 2, "air-bricks" should be required as
additional means of ventilation in water-closets, and not "at least
one air-brick," as stated in the existing Bye-law. In connection
with this Bye-law, too, an addendum might be added to the
following effect:—
"Provided always that where this Bye-law cannot be
carried out in practice, a window or skylight in the roof of a
water-closet, or earth-closet, situated on the ground or top
floor of a building—such window, or skylight, in the roof
being of the required dimensions, and opening directly into
the external air—shall be deemed to comply with the
requirements cf this, and the preceding, Bye-law, with regard
to the construction of a window in one of the external
walls."
The difficulties in connection with complying with the existing
Bye-law in this respect are well known, and, by allowing a window,
or skylight, in the roof, as suggested, matters would, from a
construction point of view, be simplified, and the sanitary conditions
of water-closets, not in any way interfered with.
With regard to Bye-law 3, the cistern that is required for
flushing a water-closet should be of an approved pattern, so as to
prevent the use, as at present, of exceedingly flimsy and
unsatisfactory ones, and the down pipe from such flushing cistern
in connection with the water-closet might, with advantage, be
made of a minimum size of 1½ins., instead of, as at present, 1¼ins.;
and, further, the flushing cittern might be placed at a height of
not less than 4 feet above the level of the flushing rim of the pan
or basin of the water-closet. In this way the best flushing power
would be obtained from the small quantity (2 gallons) of water at
present allowed by the Water Companies.
In connection with this same Bye-law, the use of trough closets,
which sooner or later become a nuisance, should be prohibited.
A new Bye-law is needed between existing Bye-laws 17 and 18,
to prevent the construction hereafter of dust-shoots in connection
with new buildings—existing shoots for dust having proved to be
sources of nuisance (more or less).
With regard to Bye-laws 24 and 25, dealing with receptacles
for dung, an addendum is needed to meet the case of a wagon or