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
Poplar 1928
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Poplar, Metropolitan Borough]
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As the flood waters receded, sludge of a more or less offensive
character was left behind. In some cases a layer of this offensive material
was left on the floor coverings and furniture and in all instances deposits
of sludge were left under the floor boards of houses affected, to a depth of
two to three inches.
TABLE I.
| The following classification has been used to show the extent of the flooding:— | |||
| A. | Bedding damaged or where water in living rooms was more than 2 ft. deep, or where less than 2 ft. the water was mixed with oil.) | 255 | |
| B. | (Water in living rooms or in basements with boarded floors, to a height of under 2 ft. over floor boards.) | 636 | |
| C. | (Water up to, but not over, floor boards, i.e., under floor boards in living rooms or in concrete basements not used as living rooms.) | 250 | |
TABLE II.
| Area. | Number of Houses. | Bedding damaged. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affected. | Disinfected. | Relimed. | |||||
| A. | B. | C. | Total. | ||||
| No. 1 | _ | 5 | 2 | 7 | 7 | _ | _ |
| No. 2 | 54 | 23 | 2 | 79 | 79 | 8 | 22 |
| No. 3 | 7 | 36 | 4 | 47 | 47 | _ | 1 |
| No. 4 | 39 | 128 | 77 | 244 | 243 | 17 | 9 |
| No. 5 | — | 149 | 18 | 167 | 168 | — | 6 |
| No. 6 | 92 | 84 | 72 | 248 | 241 | 18 | 39 |
| No. 7 | 63 | 211 | 75 | 349 | 346 | — | 16 |
| 255 | 636 | 250 | 1,141 | 1,131 | 43 | 93 | |
Note: In 22 cases premises were cleansed by tenants or owners (included in
total above). In 8 cases lime was supplied (not included in Table above).
In all cases enquiries were made as to the beds and bedding which had
been damaged and arrangements were made for all the wet bedding to be
removed to the Council's Baths either at East India Dock Road or
Glengall Road for drying and subsequent re-issue, or destruction.
In order to carry out the work of cleansing, the Works Department
very soon had a hundred men organised in gangs working in conjunction
with the Medical Officer of Health.