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
City of London 1909
Annual report of Medical Officer of Health for 1909
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A comparison of the number of such notifications received in past years with the year under review shows as follows:—
| 1901 | 51 |
| 1902 | 54 |
| 1903 | 66 |
| 1904 | 31 |
| 1905 | 32 |
| 1906 | 39 |
| 1907 | 21 |
| 1908 | 19 |
| 1909 | 23 |
| Annual Average | 37.3 |
OUTWORKERS AND "HOME" WORKERS.
A sustained effort has been made to carry out the provisions of the Act
respecting outworkers, &c.
During the past year the Lists due on February 1st and August 1st
respectively were all obtained without having recourse to legal proceedings.
As something like 750 lists have to be got in on each occasion, that result
must be pronounced satisfactory.
There are but few "home" workers in the City, but the outworkers
numbered 277, and of this number only 49 were "home" workers in any
sense of the word. These are visited by your Women Inspectors.
The following figures will illustrate what has occurred:—
| Year. | Number of Lists received. | Outworkers Employed in City. | Outworkers Employed outside City. | Total number of Outworkers. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | — | 17 | 3,752 | 3,769 |
| 1903 | — | 118 | 2,729 | 2,847 |
| 1904 | 272 | 123 | 3,334 | 3,457 |
| (Note.—1st Notice issued to all employers at end of 1904.) | ||||
| 1905 | 576 | 236 | 7,891 | 8,127 |
| 1906 | 1,112 | 229 | 14,376 | 14,605 |
| 1907 | 1,426 | 491 | 16,570 | 17,061 |
| 1908 | 1,506 | 624 | 16,909 | 17,533 |
| 1909 | 1,515 | 674 | 16,193 | 16,867 |
It was necessary in 85 cases, which were not on the register, to require
lists to be sent in and for copies of the same to be kept at the places where
the work was given out. Legal proceedings were not necessary in any case.
In no case during the year did infectious disease invade the premises of any
outworker in the City, but 15 "contacts" were reported as follows:—
phthisis 1, diphtheria 5, and scarlet fever 9. Each case was specially visited,
and all necessary precautions taken to prevent the spread of infection.