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145
Report of Inspector, Bow East Division.
To the Medical Officer of Heath.
Public Health Offices,
Bow Road,
December 31st, 1917.
Sir,
During the past year difficulty with the execution of sanitary work
has considerably increased owing to the further steady decline in labour
and restricted supply of material whereby the footprints of the world
eruption are becoming more and more impressed and pronounced on the
housing conditions of the Division.
In the past two decades sanitary legislation and administration
had been making marked progress, as evidenced by the continually
increasing improvement in the housing and feeding of the masses and the
returns of vital statistics, but the present belligerent interruption
appears unfortunately to have reduced the general conditions of the
housing of the people to a position somewhat analogous to that of about
fifteen years ago—the period when sanitary administration was beginning
to make itself felt and when very marked progress was made, particularly
in the direction of drainage reconstruction and amendment.
Undoubtedly the substantial work of that period has had a determining
effect on the maintenance of the good general health of the
people during the present crisis and leaves mainly defects of a more or
less minor character to be dealt with. This, from a public health point
of view, is of happy momen, owing to the great difficulty experienced
in these days in dealing with any constructional work.
House to house inspection has consequently had to be greatly curtailed
and closer attention given in other directions, notably Food
Inspection under the Public Health (London Acts), Food and Drugs
Acts, and Orders of the Food Ministry.
Inspections, etc. (See Table, page 132).
During the year 1,059 primary inspections have been made, mostly
in response to notifications of Infectious Diseases and complaints. Unde.