Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Poplar, Bromley, South District comprising the parishes of All Saints Poplar and Bromley Saint Leonard]
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On 15th October I presented a
FURTHER SPECIAL REPORT UPON THE RECORDS
OF THE METROPOLITAN COMMISSIONERS OF SEWERS.
SEWER OR DRAIN.
To the Chairman and Members of the Sanitary Committee of the
Board of Works for the Poplar District:
Gentlemen,
I have been to the Record Office of the London County Council,
making further research as to combined drainage. Mr. Harrold
Green is at present searching for petitions and plans of combined
drainage, which are urgently required, and then he will commence to
make extracts and an index of the petitions which relate to the Poplar
District. The officials of the Engineer's department are making him
comfortable by giving him a desk, which is very necessary, in order to
carry out the work. The accommodation also in the Record Office
and strong room or vault is in the greatest degree unsatisfactory for
any person who has to make a search through the records, some of
which are bound into unwieldy volnmes, more especially the papers
of the Courts and the various Committees. The London County
Council, who have charge of these valuable documents, ought to
afford the utmost facility, ease, and comfort to officials who have to
search on behalf of their authorities in order to save the ratepayers
money for remedying the bad combined house drainage laid down by
owners in the days of the Metropolitan Commissioners of Sewers.
The Council is awakening to the fact of value of these documents,
as it is stated that the worn out or decayed bindings of any volumes
(there being many of them) are to be repaired. This has been brought
about, I understand, through a letter sent by your Clerk to the Clerk
of the County Council. Mr. Green's work has already borne fruit.
Among the urgently required list of combined drainages given to him
was one for twelve houses in Oriental Terrace, Grundy Street. The
owner stated that the drain was a sewer. Mr. Green found the petition
F