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

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Bethnal Green 1909

Report on the sanitary condition and vital statistics during the year 1909 together with the report of the Chief Sanitary Inspector

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72
3. Rental will doubtless vary materially with locality and will
be found to be higher in London than in other towns.
This may not affect the conclusions as to local conditions,
but for aggregate returns for the several towns a better
indication will be obtained from the number of rooms and
persons.
4. The number of rooms and persons is important, for the
reasons stated above. The intention is that all "living
rooms," and not merely sleeping rooms, should be included;
but not of course sculleries, cellars, etc., which are not
living rooms. If any different practice has been adopted,
it is important that it should be explained by a note: and
if there be any doubt, the individual investigators should
be asked what they have included.
5. The reasons for return of mothers to industrial work will
usually be recorded in the returns. It is important that
the conclusions should be drawn for each town, with local
knowledge. Thus it may be that depression of a local
industry, depriving the father of his usual employment,
may cause special and temporary need for the mother to
earn money.
6. Industry should be distinguished, at all events to the
extent of separating the principal branches for each town.
7. The distinction of primiparæ of some importance,
owing to the greater mortality among first-born children,
and to the fact that industrial employment is often given
up after the birth of the first child. The data with regard
to first-born children, and also with regard to illegitimate
children, would no doubt repay detailed analysis.
8. The summary does not provide for statistics on certain
points, e.g., as to alien parents, which nevertheless
may be of interest in towns where the numbers are large.
In such cases special entries can be made in the working
sheets.