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
Islington 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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219
[1913
Registers—There were 5,040 workshops on the register at the close of
the year. These included 510 workshops where men were employed, 806
workplaces where women were employed, 96 laundries, 237 bakehouses, 687
kitchens of restaurants and eating houses, or places where food is prepared,
and '2,704 outworkers' premises.
The various workshops and workplaces are tabulated as below-.—
| Workshops and Workplaces. | 1912. | 1913. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workshops on Register. | Workrooms on Register. | Number added during Year. | Number removed during Year. | Total number of Workshops on Register. | Total Number of Workrooms on Register. | |
| Workshops where Men are employed | 496 | 710 | 55 | 41 | 510 | 730 |
| Workshops where Women are employed | 811 | 1,524 | 102 | 107 | 806 | 1,502 |
| Laundries | 100 | — | 4 | 96 1 | ||
| Bakehouses | 241 | 251 | — | 4 | 237 | 247 |
| Restaurant Kitchens | 730 | 1,013 | 3 | 50 | 687 | 931 |
| Outworkers' Premises | 2,802 | 2,802 | 721 | 611 | 2,704 | 2,704 |
| Total | 5,180 | 6,300 | 881 | 817 | 5,040 | 6,114 |
Sanitation.—Of the 990 sanitary defects discovered, 256 related to
uncleanliness; 30 to want of ventilation; 17 to overcrowding; 34 to insufficient
or entire want of drainage to the floors; and 142 to various other
nuisances. In 28 cases there were no dustbins, or they were defective; in 39
the w.c. accommodation was insufficient; in 292 cases it was foul, in 120 it
was unsuitable or defective; and in 12 instances separate accommodation was
required for the sexes. In 20 a water supply was required.
Of these sanitary defects, 948 had been remedied at the close of the year.
In addition to the above nuisances, 92 were discovered in the homes of
outworkers, from which also 75 cases of infectious disease have been reported.
This year's work of the Workshops Inspectors brings the total number
of major nuisances dealt with by them since 1898 up to 18,867, and as these
were of a more or less serious character, it is self-evident that they are doing
a very good work in the Borough. The following Table shows the nature
of some of the work dealt with since 1896.