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

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Islington 1906

Fifty-first annual report on the health and sanitary condition of the Metropolitan Borough of Islington

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261 [1906
INSPECTOR WILKINSON'S REPORT.
Public Health Department,
Town Hall,
UPPER Street, N.
April 29th, 1907.
To A. E. Harris, Esq.,
Medical Ojficer of Health.
Dear Sir,
I have pleasure in submitting the following particulars respecting my duties for the
year ending December 29th, 1906.
The number of slaughter-houses has remained unchanged during the year and now stands
at 39, but some of them are very seldom used for the purpose for which they are licensed,
although the bye-laws and regulations are fairly well observed. To these 2,245 visits have
been paid, and I found that as a whole they have been well conducted, although in three
instances I suspected that breaches of the bye-laws (i.e., allowing the blood of animals to
enter the drain) had taken place and warnings were given.
Several minor defects were also found during the annual visits paid prior to the
renewal of licences, such as defective joints or broken concrete in the floors of the slaughterhouses
or pounds, and these were promptly remedied on your sending official letters to the
respective licensees.
The number of animals slaughtered during the year was as follows :—
Oxen Cows Calves Sheep and Lambs Pigs Total.
2,172 Nil 143 30,668 11 = 32,994
If these figures are compared with those of the year 1902—which was the first year of my
official connection with this Borough—it will be found that there has been a decrease of 11,791
animals slaughtered in the Islington private slaughter-houses during the year 1906, as compared
with that year, which works out at a reduction of 26.3 per cent. during the five years.
for the purpose of comparison I submit below the number of animals of different kinds
slaughtered during the two years under consideration, from which it will be seen that the
reduction consisted of 25.2 per cent of sheep and lambs, 26.7 of calves, 27.5 per cent. of
oxen, 84.7 of pigs, and 100 per cent. of cows.
Sheep
Oxen Cows Calves and Pigs Total
Lambs.
Year 1902 2,996 498 195 41,024 72 = 44,785
Year 1906 2,172 Nil 143 30,668 11 = 32,994
824 498 52 10,356 61 = 11,791
This reduction is very considerable, even taking into account the fact that the number of
slaughter-houses have been reduced from 44 to 39 in that period, and it is no doubt owing