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
Kensington 1904
The annual report on the health, sanitary condition of the Royal Borough of Kensington, etc., etc., for the year 1904
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As stated in preceding reports, the only satisfactory way of dealing with this matter
would be to erect and equip a shelter which could be "most economically done in connection
with a disinfecting station." The Council, however, have decided, rightly, I think, that the
depot at Wood Lane, where the disinfecting station is about to be erected, is not a suitable situation
for a shelter. I recommended the Wharf at Kensal Road, as a suitable and convenient site
for the disinfecting station and a shelter, as well as for carrying out the provisions of the
Cleansing of Persons Act, all under a single management, but the recommendation did not commend
itself to the Council.
PUBLIC MORTUARY. Bodies were deposited at the Mortuary during the year to the number of 334, upon applications as follows:—
| 1. At the request of the relatives of the deceased | ... | |
| 2. At the request of undertakers, mainly at the instance of the relieving officers | 117 | |
| 3. At the request of the coroner (inquest cases):— Cases of sudden death | 118 | |
| Cases of violent death | 60 | |
| 4. Brought in by the Police Found dead | 23 | 178 |
| Accident cases | 5 | |
| 5. On laccount of death due to infectious disease | ... | 28 |
| 3 | ||
| 334 | ||
In 90 of the above cases post-mortem examinations were made under the coroner's warrant.
Coroners' Districts.—The districts of coroners do not in all cases correspond with the
municipal areas, and in certain parts of the borough bodies of persons, upon which it becomes
necessary to hold inquests, are removed to Paddington for the purpose. A communication was
addressed to the London County Council, in January, 1902, calling attention to the desirability of
steps being taken to secure the adjustment of boundaries of the coroners' districts, so that every
borough should be wholly situated in one of such districts. The matter remains in statu quo; but
it is to be presumed that the desired re-arrangement of the districts will be taken in hand ere long.
People sometimes complain of the improper detention at the homes of the poor, of the
bodies of deceased relatives, on the supposition that the Council possess power to remove bodies
to the public mortuary at will. What the law enables the Council to do is set out in the 89th
section of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, which provides that—
" When either—
(a) The body of a person who has died of any infectious disease is retained in a room in
which persons live or sleep; or
(b) The body of a person who has died of any dangerous infectious disease is retained,
without the sanction of the medical officer of health, or any legally qualified medical
practitioner, for more than 48 hours, elsewhere than in a room not used at the time
as a dwelling place, sleeping place, or work-room; or
(e) Any dead body is retained in any house or room so as to endanger the health of the
inmates thereof, or of any adjoining or neighbouring house or building;
a justice may, on a certificate signed by a medical officer of health, or other legally qualified
medical practitioner, direct that the body be removed, at the cost of the sanitary authority,
to any available mortuary, and be buried within the time limited by the justice."
Many of the cases of improper deposit of dead bodies in living rooms, occur in connexion
with removals for private burial from the borough infirmary.