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
Chelsea 1914
Annual report for 1914 of the Medical Officer of Health
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Section IV.
THE SANITARY CONDITION OF THE BOROUGH.
The tabular statements prepared by the Sanitary Inspectors show that
1,341 separate premises were reported on by them during 1914, 415 of this
number being with reference to cases of notifiable infectious disease, and
425 in the course of house-to-house inspections made in certain of the poorer
streets of the Borough.
It has been necessary to take legal proceedings for breach of the Public
Health (London) Act, in respect of one premises only.
Drainage.—During the year 16 transferences were made to the Surveyor's
Department, in accordance with the Council's resolution of the
15th April, 1908, of premises where re-drainage works were required.
| Number of restaurant and hotel kitchens | 65 |
| „ inspections made | 91 |
| „ premises found satisfactory | 63 |
| „ premises with sanitary defects | 2 |
| „ notices served | 2 |
| Number of bakehouses | 32 |
| „ inspections | 54 |
| „ notices served | 6 |
Disinfection.—During the past year, 471 premises have been disinfected
after cases of infectious or other disease, 115 of these being rooms which
had been in occupation by persons suffering from tuberculosis. In addition
265 rooms were disinfected for the presence of bugs and other vermin, and
were subsequently stripped and cleansed by the owners of the property.
At the disinfecting station, 1645 separate articles of bedding or clothing
were disinfected, and 59 articles were destroyed in the incinerator. Of the
total of 1645 articles disinfected, 582 were blankets, clothing, uniforms,
etc., sent by the military authorities, viz., 466 from the Duke of York's
Headquarters; 105 from No. 2 General Military Hospital at St. Mark's
College; and 11 from the R.A.M.C. Sanitary Company, in Manor-street.
No charge was made to the Military Authorities for any of this work. Of
the 582 articles disinfected, 456 were for pediculi (vermin); 64 for scarlet
fever; 46 for enteric fever; 6 for scabies; and 10 for other diseases.
Most of these articles of clothing were the belongings of soldiers who had
been in contact with cases of infectious disease, or with vermin, in addition
to those actually verminous; and as a precautionary measure a considerable
number of articles taken out of government store were disinfected
at the request of the Military Authorities.