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
Holborn 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Holborn Borough]
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54
The Holborn children attend Rheumatism Supervisory Clinics at the Hospital
for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, and at the Royal Free Hospital.
Enquiries in Notified Cases of Rheumatism..
Enquiries into the housing conditions of the notified cases showed that 70 lived in
satisfactory artisan self-contained flats; 28 lived in satisfactory artisan homes in divided
houses of a comfortable type (a better class of house let in lodgings); 49 lived in houses let
in lodgings; 8 lived in artisan dwellings of an old type, not self-contained, but superior to
ordinary houses let in lodgings; and two were not traced as a result of incorrect addresses.
Dampness in Houses.
Dampness was found in five houses, in four of which it was due to temporary nuisances
which were remedied. In the fifth case a closing order was made in respect of a damp underground
room ; and the family removed from the Borough.
Lighting and Ventilation.
Four children lived in a semi-basement flat, and although the lighting was not good, the
flat was well built and the street and courtyard adjoining fairly wide, so that lighting and
ventilation compared not unfavourably with upper floors in narrow streets and small courtyards.
In ten other cases the lighting was unsatisfactory, including the family referred to as
living in an underground room.
Most of the remaining homes were well ventilated and the lighting good; in only one case
was ventilation or lighting markedly unsatisfactory.
Overcrowding and Sleeping Accommodation.
There was evidence of legal overcrowding in only two of the houses and steps were taken
to abate this nuisance. The sleeping arrangements are given in the following table :—
| No. of Rheumatic Children | Separate Room | Separate Bed in Living Room | Separate Bed in Room shared with | Bed shared with | Bed shared in living room with | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults | Children | Adults and Children | Adults | Children | Adults and Children | Children | Adults and Children | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 143 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| 143 | 12 | 13 | 53 | 61 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||
* Exclusive of two cases where wrong addresses given, one where the patient died shortly
after the date of notification, and eight where the child removed immediately after
notification.
Social Conditions.
Seven children live in one-room homes. In sixteen homes there is a history of chronic
poverty, but without acute distress; in three of these the mother has been many years widowed;
in another the mother has been rearing the illegitimate family of a man who also supports
bis wife and his legitimate family on a moderate income; two are living on widows
pensions. In all these homes difficulty of providing proper clothing, and more especially
sufficient boots, may arise at any time, and if this does occur we hope to be able to solve
the difficulty.