View report page

7
NOTES ON THE HISTORY OF
PUBLIC HEALTH IN HAMPSTEAD
When the Vestry of Hampstead was created by the Metropolis
Management Act, 1855, it was authorised to appoint a Medical Officer
of Health, The first Medical Officer of Health was appointed in the
same year. As the information concerning public health in the early
years is very largely derived from the reports of the medical officers,
it is perhaps not inappropriate to start with some particulars of these
men.
There have been eight Medical Officers of Health of Hampstead,
their service extending over a period of 108 years.
The first Medical Officer of Health was Dr. Charles F, J. Lord
who was appointed as a part-time Medical Officer of Health in 1855,
He retained this position until 1879.
There is not a great deal of biographical detail known about
Dr. Lord, but he appears to have been a student at Guy's Hospital
and St. Thomas's Hospital and qualified as L.S. A. in 1825 and M, R.C.S.
in 1826. He came to Hampstead as a medical practitioner in 1827
when he was in partnership with Dr. James Winter and he lived at
13 College Crescent. He was the Poor Law Medical Officer and Public
Vaccinator from 185 2 to I860. He was a bachelor and towards the end
of his life he became blind. It is not known when he died but he was
apparently living in 1889 "but very old and blind".
An interesting point is that Dr.Lord is apparently the first
known blood donor in this country, This must have been when he
was a medical student about 140 years ago.
Some light is thrown on medical salaries of this era by a letter
from the Guardians of the Hampstead District to the Poor-Law Commissioners
dated March, 1847 concerning the proposed salary of the
Medical Officer of the Hampstead District of the Edmonton Union,
which says , inter alia:-
"On the new Poor Law coming into operation in
Hampstead, the payment to the Medical Officer was
reduced from about £240 to £ 130 per annum. When