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
Lewisham 1856
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lewisham District]
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| locality. | nature op nuisance. | when reportd. | means adopted to remedy. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quaggy River | Full of filthy mud exposed to the sun's rays from low-ness of water. Sewage still enters this stream, and thence into Ravensbourne | August September October | Improved |
| Raglan Street | Dirty offensive ditch full of sewage | August | Drained into sewer |
| Ravensbourne River | Water supply contaminated with Penge drainage | Same as before | |
| Rock and Fountain, Sydenham | Offensive drainage pumped into street | September | Opened into sewer |
| Rushey Green, Lewisham | Drainage from Cockshed Lane into ditch opposite Black Horse Inn. Drainage from stable and dung heap. No drain into sewer. Privy and cesspool near Police Station. No sufficient drainage. Houses beyond Black Horse still drain into diteh, without water supply | October | Same |
| November | Remedied | ||
| Same | |||
| Sydenham; piece of canal atForest Hill | Talk of emptying and throwing mud upon banks; would be dangerous | August | Not to be done |
| Stanstead Lane Sydenham | Offensive drainage House occupied by Moore, grocer, undrained. Privy, by Cooper, sweep, Forest Hill, offensive. Steel's Cottages, near Dartmouth Row, no drainage and offensive privies | Opened into sewer Undrained | |
| Undrained; notices ser ved to drain | |||
| Sandwell Place, Blackheath W ard | Requires urgently to be drained; fever occurs here | Nothing done | |
| Sydenham and Lewisham | Trees being destroyed by an insect, " Scalytus Destructor," should be cut down to save the remaining healthy ones | Nothing done | |
| Taylor's Lane, Sydenham | Two cottages at corner, privies dilapidated, obstructed, and filthy; an offensive ditch at corner; fever attacking the inmates ; adjoining cottages are in the same state | Still in a filthy state | |
| Near Waterman's Asylum | The cesspools emptied and thrown at the back of a house. A scavenger should be employed to remove these nuisances | Remedied | |
| Vegetable refuse thrown in decomposing heaps in various parts of all the Districts | Remedied | ||
| Westwood House, Sydenham | Offensive drains from into ditch, should be arched over > | June | Same as before |