London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Stoke Newington 1904

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Stoke Newington, The Metropolitan Borough]

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45
instances no alterations whatever have been made in the sanitary
arrangements of the dwelling, and the same provision designed originally
to meet the wants of one family has now to meet the wants of two or
three. It is not surprising that under these circumstances the
sanitary arrangements not unfrequently become overtaxed, and the
requirements of cleanliness and decency are not easily complied with. In
my opinion when such houses become tenemented they should be brought
under bye-laws requiring an improvement in the original provision of
sanitary appliances, so that a common sink and a common water-closet
should not continue to represent the only provision for two or three
families. The requirement of the bye-law made by the London County
Council under the Public Health (London) Act of 1891, that water-closet
accommodation must be provided in the proportion of one water-closet
to every twelve persons, is by no means an easy one to enforce in all
cases. Conditions of tenancy vary so frequently in these houses, that
it is often difficult and unreasonable to enforce the bye-law. What
is really required is a bye-law requiring that in all cases where more
than two families are housed under one roof there should be more than
one water-closet, and there should be provided a separate sink and a
separate draw-off tap for drinking-water for each family so housed.
METEOROLOGY IN AND AROUND LONDON
DURING THE YEAR 1904.
January.—The weather during the opening month of the year proved
of an unsettled and unseasonable character, even the anti-cyclone
system which prevailed during the third week not producing the
type of wintry conditions usually associated with such systems at
this season. Pressure was below the average, the winds being
mainly from points between South and West ; temperature was
above the normal in nearly all localities ; rainfall varied considerably
both in frequency and in amount, and the duration of bright
sunshine was deficient practically all over the country.
February.—Almost throughout the entire month the weather conditions
over the United Kingdom were of a very unsettled character,
extremely so during the first three weeks, owing to a practically