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
Bethnal Green 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bethnal Green Borough]
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The sanitary defects which gave rise to the foregoing action covered the following matters:
| Dirty rooms | 7,820 |
| Defective drains and choked w.c's | 701 |
| Defective and dirty w.c's | 1,732 |
| Defective water supply | 368 |
| Defective paving | 232 |
| Defective gutters and rain water pipes | 905 |
| Defective roofs | 1,779 |
| Dampness | 1,534 |
| Defective dustbins | 211 |
| Other defects | 6,166 |
| Total | 21,448 |
As will be seen from the appended list of legal proceedings,
it was necessary to take such measures to
enforce compliance with some notices.
Drainage.— Plans submitted and approved : 29.
Water Supply.—As the great bulk of the water
used in the borough comes from the mains of the
Metropolitan Water Board and is frequently tested it
does not call for special comment. It is, however,
interesting to report that there are 7 wells in the
borough. Two of them have not been used for some
years, 2 are used as a supplementary supply for industrial
purposes, 2 are attached to the Council's
Public Baths, and the other 1 is attached to a local
hospital and is used for all purposes.
Seventeen certificates were issued in respect of the
satisfactory supply of water to 370 new premises.