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36
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
All house-to-house inspections under the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891, are carried out as if these were inspections
under Section 17 of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909,
and the results recorded on a special card which was drawn up in
1910, and has been in use since that date. This method has
been found to work most satisfactorily. Where nuisances are
found notices are served under the Public Health Act, and if the
premises are reported by the Sanitary Inspector to be in a bad
condition, I make a personal inspecton in order to determine if
the houses are in such a condition as to be unfit for human habitation.
During the year 3,348 house-to-house inspections were
made by the Sanitary Inspectors, and in 3,091 nuisances were
found necessitating the service of sanitary notices.
Of thje 62 premises reported in 1919 as unfit for human
habitation, two have been closed, and three have been rendered
fit for habitation and the closing orders determined.
The total number of houses where the drains were reconstructed
during the year was 131; 28 in Clapham, 19 in Putney,
31 in Streatham, seven in Tooting, and 46 in Wandsworth.
During the year 4,950 drains of houses were tested by the
Sanitary Inspectors, 824 in Clapham, 295 in Putney, 1,081 in
Streatham, 738 in Tooting, and 2,012 in Wandsworth, and 390,
or 8.73 per cent. were found to be defective. Of the 390 found
defective, 51 were in Clapham, 18 in Putney, 156 in Streatham,
74 in Tooting, and 91 in Wandsworth.
A large amount of work has again been carried out to abate
nuisances arising from damp conditions. In all, 1,885 premises
have been dealt with, 498 in Clapham, 159 in Putney, 460 in
Streatham, 198 in Tooting, and 570 in Wandsworth; and in 422
of these, 185 in Clapham, 33 in Putney, 70 in Streatham, 52 in
Tooting, and 82 in Wandsworth, damp courses have been
inserted.