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
Hackney 1909
Report on the sanitary condition of the Hackney District for the year 1909
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84
During the year Miss Portlock, the inspector appointed for
outworkers premises, made 1,695 inspections and re-inspections
of outworkers premises. She also made 1,399 visits without
inspection, the outworker having either moved to another
address (775), or having given up work (156), or not being at
home (238), or owing to wrong address being given (148), etc.
During her visits Miss Portlock discovered 56 workshops which
had not been registered, and 23 premises where male outworkersalone
were employed. Admission was refused by outworkers to this
Inspector on three occasions during the year, but she was
admitted on a subsequent visit, after I had addressed a cautionary
letter to the respective outworkers. During Miss Portlock's
inspections she discovered 590 premises in which there were
sanitary defects. For the abatement of these 267 intimation
notices and 6 statutory notices were served. Of the 875 premises
inspected by Miss Portlock, in 87 only did she find a room set
apart for work alone. In the remainder, work was carried on in
rooms used for other purposes as set out below:—
| Workroom, bedroom and kitchen | 123 |
| „ and kitchen | 444 |
| „ „ bedroom | 94 |
| „ „ living room | 118 |
| „ „ scullery | 8 |
| „ „ basement passage | 1 |
| „ alone | 87 |
| 875 |
The following table gives the general character of the
nuisances found, with other details.