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 1876
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Parish of St Mary]
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| 1877. | Gallons per diem. | Houses Supplied. | Gallons per head of the population. |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 112,206,296 | 527,690 | 29.9 |
| February | 110,670,434 | 530,474 | 29.5 |
| March | 111,349,039 | 530,932 | 29.7 |
| April | 113,059,473 | 531,070 | 30.1 |
| May | 127,627,550 | 531,427 | 33.6 |
| June | 131,579,962 | 532,254 | 34.8 |
| July | 133,642,090 | 533,067 | 35.1 |
| August | 134,067,457 | 533,772 | 35.5 |
| September | 128,090,869 | 534,628 | 33.7 |
| October | 122,683,744 | 535,492 | 33.0 |
| November | 118,048,106 | 535,733 | 31.2 |
| December | 116,033,974 | 537,118 | 30.9 |
| Mean | 121,679,176 | 532,805 | 32.25 |
The attention of the public has been drawn of late very much
to this question of Water Supply: the Metropolitan Board of Works
having applied, as you are aware, to Parliament last year for power
to buy up the Companies, and to supply London with Chalk Water
in the place of River Water. It seems never to have occurred to the
authorities that whilst a river water may be impure, it is by no
means certain that chalk water must be pure.
There is good and bad river water I know full well,—but I
know equally for certain that there is good and bad chalk water—
and the change from river to well or to spring, does not necessarily