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75
basements, which in the older buildings were almost, if not entirely, below the
level of the street. These answered very well so long as there was no servant
difficulty, but as it increased so did basements become unpopular ; particularly
as the mistresses then found it necessary to be more and more in their kitchens.
The servants, themselves, too, objected to them, and many flatly refused to take
situations in houses with them. The result of this agitation was to increase the
demand for non-basement houses, which could not be fully met in Islington, nor
for the matter of that in many of the metropolitan boroughs."
Dr. Harris was a firm believer in prevention being better than cure. He said that
to encourage people to be healthy, and to improve the conditions in which they
lived would "bring about true economy ; that there could be no doubt that the
amount of money spent on saving lives by improving sanitary conditions never even
approximates the money value of the lives that have been saved, or the cost of those
things which the loss of lives represents, e.g. funerals, sickness, medicine, loss of
wages, pauperism." He was even so bold as to calculate that if a human life were
valued at £400, then as the result of sanitary work done by Islington since 1903 (as
shown by the death rates to 1911) there was a saving which represented a money
value of £794,000.
A detailed report on the setting up of Tuberculosis Dispensaries for the Borough,
with the appointment of medical and nursing staff was presented in 1912 and,
following a joint meeting of representatives of the Islington Health League, the
Islington District Insurance Committee, and the Islington and St. Pancras Branch of
the British Medical Association, the following letter was sent to the Council—
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am instructed by the Provisional Committee, composed of members of the
Borough Council, the District Insurance Committee, the Medical Profession of
the Borough, the Islington Health League, and the Central Fund for the establishment
of Tuberculosis Dispensaries, to request you to lay before your Public
Health Committee, the following resolutions passed at a meeting held on the
6th November, 1912 ; a previous meeting having been held on the 16th October,
1912.
RESOLUTION 1 : That in the opinion of this provisional committee the
Borough Council should formulate a scheme for the establishment of a
Tuberculosis Dispensary.
RESOLUTION 2 : That the Committee of Management of the Tuberculosis
Dispensary should be constituted as follows :—
The Borough Council (7 representatives).
The District Insurance Committee (2 representatives).
The Medical Profession of the Borough (adequate representation).
The Medical Officer of Health for the Borough.
Agreed unanimously.
RESOLUTION 3 : That a copy of the foregoing resolution should be forwarded
to the Public Health Committee of the Borough of Islington.
Agreed. Nem.con.
I have the honour to remain,
Yours faithfully,
VICTOR HORSLEY,
Late Chairman of the Provisional Committee.