London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
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]
This page requires JavaScript
239
[1913
herself for any responsible post. The wages paid to skilled workwomen are,, on the whole,
still far too low, the Minimum Wage Act has improved the conditions of those working at
the scheduled trades, but much remains to be done.
The personal cleanliness of many of the employees is not as satisfactory as it might
be, and in those trades where it is most necessary it is often most lacking. Some employers
dismiss any girl found to be in a verminous condition, but this, unfortunately, is not
compulsory, nor as the law stands at present does it remedy the evil, as the woman easily
finds work where the employer is not so careful. It might be possible to make it compulsory
upon the employer to notify any such case, so that the sufferer could receive attention at a
cleansing station, and her home be dealt with by the Sanitary Authority.
Mess Rooms are gradually being provided, but the increase in lavatory accommodation
is extremely slow.
Nuisances.—The following table shows the number of defects found and remedied during the year: —
| Nature of nuisance. | Found. | Remedied. |
|---|---|---|
| Want of cleanliness | 60 | 61 |
| Want of ventilation | 13 | 13 |
| Overcrowding | 17 | 17 |
| Want of drainage of floors | — | 1 |
| Dustbins wanting or defective | 10 | 10 |
| Sanitary accommodation insufficient | 2 | 2 |
| Sanitary accommodation foul | 74 | 70 |
| Sanitary accommodation unsuitable cr defective | 65 | 66 |
| Sanitary accommodation not separate for the sexes | 1 | — |
| Other nuisances | 38 | 38 |
| Total | 280 | 278 |
Notices.—In respect to the above nuisances, 55 Intimation Notices were served, 8 in
connection with factories, and 47 in connection with workrooms. In no case was it
necessary to serve a Statutory Notice, the work in each instance being done within a
reasonable time of the receipt of the Intimation Notice.
Workshop Cards.—The number of Workroom Cards distributed was 213. These cards
specify the cubic space of each room, and the number of persons who may be employed
in it during i r inary working hours and during overtime (if allowed).
Workshops notified to the Home Office.—In accordance with the requirements of the
Public Health (London) Act (Sec. 27) the addresses of 106 workshops employing women were
notified to the Home Office. These were premises whose occupiers had failed to send in
any notice of occupation to H.M. Inspector, or in which the abstract of the Factory and
Workshop Acts was not affixed. Notices of 8 new factories were also forwarded to the Home
Office. H.M. Inspector notified 5 matters which were remediable under the Public Health
Acts, but not under the Factory and Workshops Act. These nuisances were abated, and
the necessary reports sent to H.M. Inspector.
I remain. Sir,
Your obedient servant,
M. GWYNETH DAVIESS
Sanitary Inspector of Workshops, etc.