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 1908
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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219
1908
716 sanitary defects were found, and 592 were remedied, as below: —
| Found. | Remedied. | |
|---|---|---|
| Dirty walls, or ceilings, or floors | 243 | 145 |
| Dirty and dilapidated walls and ceilings | 80 | 66 |
| Defective floors | 16 | 16 |
| Want of proper and sufficient ventilation | 8 | 9 |
| Drinking water cistern requiring cleansing or cover | 18 | 17 |
| Want of bins for offal or house refuse | 139 | 120 |
| Unpaved or defectively paved yards | 19 | 20 |
| Want of impervious wall where fish is cleansed | 8 | 8 |
| Defective flushing cistern | 30 | 29 |
| Drainage defects | 13 | 9 |
| Foul or defective sanitary accommodation | 30 | 27 |
| Miscellaneous defects | 96 | 115 |
| Want of domestic water supply on upper floors | 16 | 11 |
| 716 | 592 |
141 of the above sanitary defects were found on the homeworkers' premises, of these 88 were remedied, and are duly included in the schedule herewith.
| Found. | Cleansed. | |
|---|---|---|
| Utensils in dirty condition | 171 | 93 |
| Dirty or insanitary storage of food | 223 | 116 |
The following tables show the comparative general conditions relative to the basement, ground floor, and upper storey kitchens, when inspected in 1907; with the result of the improved conditions found in 1908.
| Satisfactory. | Unsatisfactory. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1907— | ||
| Basement | 41 | 47 |
| Ground floor | 288 | 143 |
| Upper storeys | 63 | 11 |
| 392 | 201 | |
| 1908— | ||
| Basement | 80 | 54 |
| Ground floor | 339 | 99 |
| Upper storeys | 73 | 6 |
| 492 | 159 | |
It is noticeable that the basement kitchens are still the most unsatisfactory in proportion
to their numbers, though the improvements effected in them have resulted in bringing
60 per cent. up to the average conditions of cleanliness, etc. The remainder are structurally
unsatisfactory, that is, they have not the light nor ventilation necessary to places where food
is prepared or stored. As I pointed out in my previous report, the openings made to admit
air and light from the pavements generally admit very much more dirt and road detritis than
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