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
City of Westminster 1905
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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69
had to be made it was found that the emission of black smoke arose
from the combustion of improper substances or from bad or careless
stoking.
D. Workshops.
Section 132 of the Factory and Workshops Act directs that " The
Medical Officer of Health of every District Council shall in his annual
report to them report specifically on the administration of this Act in
workshops and workplaces, and he shall send a copy of his annual
report, or so much of it as deals with this subject, to the Secretary of
State," and forms have been supplied giving a summary of what is
required. It is, however, a matter of difficulty to apportion work,
especially as workshops and dwellings are so intermingled.
The following shows the state of the registers at the end of 1905:—
| Number. | Number of Inspections. | |
|---|---|---|
| Laundries | 30 | 62 |
| Bakehouses | 98 | 249 |
| Other workshops | 2,357 | 1,555 |
| Places where food is prepared for sale | 666 | 1,500 |
| Other work places | 10 | 30 |
| 3,161 | 3,396 |
There are undoubtedly many more workshops in the City; they are
gradually being discovered, but at the same time the occupation of
places already on the register is constantly changing. This is especially
true with regard to home workers' premises.
An idea of the nature of the workshops in which women are employed may be gathered from the following list of 837 places which came under the attentioivof the women sanitary inspectors in 1905:—
| Dressmakers' and milliners | 395 | Fancy leather goods | 7 |
| Dress agencies | 3 | Silver workers | 2 |
| Tailoring | 190 | Cigaret te workers | 9 |
| Furriers | 19 | Diamond polishers | 2 |
| Lingerie | 3 | Die stamping | 2 |
| Shirtmakers | 14 | Black bordering paper | 1 |
| Weaving | 1 | Printers | 22 |
| Oorset-makers | 16 | Bookbinding | 3 |
| Embroideries | 8 | Lamp shade maker | 1 |
| Lace menders | 4 | Sticks and umbrellas | 4 |
| Hats and caps | 7 | Upholstery | 1 |
| Feathers and plumes | 4 | Metal workers | 3 |
| Laundries | 30 | Various trades | 34 |
| Hairdressers and costumiers | 35 |