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
Fulham 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Fulham Borough]
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Two prototype traps were constructed and used in two cases where
complaint had been received. No pigeons were actually caught,
but in each case the pigeons gave no further cause for complaint
and trapping was abandoned. The service however, is still in
being and will be used when occasion demands.
GRIT NUI SANGS - SANDS END WARD
The Medical Officer of Health arranged for the entire staff of
Sanitary Inspectors to carry out a survey of Sands End Ward in order
to obtain direct evidence of the nuisance from grit etc., together
with the personal experience of residents throughout the area.
As it was impossible in the time to arrange for a complete house
to house visitation, ten per cent of the houses in evary street in
the Ward were inspected and the residents , views obtained in the
form of a questionnaire- the latter dealing with all aspects of
the nuisance from the householder's point of view, and giving
details of alleged injury to health attributable directly or
indirectly to it.
Survey Figures- April 1st. 2nd and 3rd 1948.
| Number of Roads visited | 66 |
| „ „ Houses visited | 405 |
| „ „ Persons interviewed | 483 |
| „ „ „ noticing nuisance before 1946 | 207 |
| „ „ „ „ „ since 1946 | 58 |
| „ „ „ „ „ 'worse since 1939' | 353 |
| Number attributing nuisance to Power Station | 270 |
| „ „ „ „ other industrial sources | 92 |
| „ „ „ „ unknown sources 127 | 127 |
Comlaints due to soot and grit in householder's opinion.
| (1) Contamination: Food, clothes etc. | 310 | (1A) No Contaimination: Food, clothes etc. | 123 |
| (2) Windows stated shut at all times | 315 | (2A) Unnecessary to shut windows | 178 |
| (3) Eye injuries (foreign bodies in eye etc.) | 303 | (3A) No eye injuries | 180 |
| (4) Pulmonary troubles (bronchitis, asthma, T.B. etc.) (Worse 60%?) | 176 | (4A) No pulmonary trouble | 307 |
| (5) Psychological, and other health factors, debility etc. | 307 | (5A) No psychological or other health factors | 176 |
These figures are, of course, open to correction, as many of
those interviewed were themselves doubtful as to the definite answer,
and were often somewhat vague in their statements- particularly
does this refer to psychological and general health answers as many
complained of "tiredness", "being fed up with cleaning" etc.,
rather than any recognisable factor.
Many of the interviewed could not say definitely when they were
first aware of the grit nuisance, but there was certainly a general
impression that it was worse now than it had been in previous times.