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persons were employed, the Home Office regulations were not exhibited, in 62 cases the occupier
professed to be ignorant as to the number of persons he could employ, and denied having received
any intimation from the inspector of the Whitechapel Board with respect to this matter, in 11 instances
the workrooms were found overcrowded, and in 16 cases there was no separate water-closet accommodation
for persons of the two sexes as required by section 38 of the Public Health (London),
1891, Act.
In a few instances defective receptacles for dust were noted, and in some cases no receptacle was
provided ; this was notably the case in the neighbourhood of Cox's-square, where house refuse had in
some instances to be carried for considerable distances in order to be deposited in the uncovered common
receptacle in the square. In a large number of houses visited a "sanitary bin " had been provided by
the Board of Works, and the removal of dust appeared to be well carried out.
Among the above defects it will be seen that faulty structural conditions, not admitting of easy
remedy, have not been included. These, however, constitute by far the most serious defects of houses
in many of the poorer parts of Whitechapel. In the numerous dark, confined, and ill-ventilated courts
of the district are many houses the ground floors of which are below the level of the adjoining footway,
and are constructed directly upon the earth without ventilation of the space beneath the floor boards ;
there are moreover a considerable number of back to back houses. A very large amount of improvement
has been effected by the efforts of the medical officer of health and his inspectors in this connection ;
floors have been raised, the ground beneath them concreted, and the intervening space ventilated, and
in many cases attempts to improve the ventilation of houses have been made by the construction of
ventilating shafts, or by the introduction of skylights at the top of staircases ; openings for the
admission of light and air have been devised, and much ingenuity has been displayed in obtaining
some degree of improvement where it would have been thought no remedy was possible. Great benefit
has accrued in this way, although it too often happens that the newly provided opening is blocked up
by the tenant (who living in the closest of atmospheres explains that he is afraid of the draught), or
in some other way the good effect designed is nullified. In Tewkesbury-buildings, for example, a
ventilating shaft was converted by the tenants into a chimney; its limewhited walls were rapidly
becoming grimy with smoke, and the openings from the various apartments into the shaft were tall
carefully blocked with a view to preventing the smoke from the coko fire of the basement tenant
entering the upper rooms and rendering them uninhabitable. No amount of ingenuity can, however, do
much to remedy the closeness and bad arrangement of many of these courts which require more radical
treatment than is possible by application of the provisions of the Public Health Act.
Bakehouses.—There were 69 bakehouses in use in Whitechapel at the time of my inspection.
I visited 32 of these places, and found them to be for the most part clean and well kept. Nineteen of
the 32 visited were cellar bakehouses, and the means of ventilation in one of these appeared to me to
be so unsatisfactory as to raise question as to the fitness of the place for use as a bakehouse. A few
defects were noted in other bakehouses, but generally speaking the requirements of the existing law
relating to bakehouses were enforced.
Slaughterhouses, cowsheds and offensive trades.—I visited the 8 slaughterhouses, the 13 cowsheds
and the offensive trade premises in the district, and found the requirements of the law generally
observed. In the majority of the cowhouses, however, dung pits, though in conformity with the
regulations made under the Dairies, Cowsheds, &c., Orders, did not conform with the by-laws made by
the Council under sec. 39 (1) of the Public Health (London) Act. There was, moreover, evidence of
the need of enforcement by the sanitary authority of the by-law under sec. 16 (2) of the same Act,
relating to removal of offensive matter. Many of the premises visited were in objectionably close
proximity to inhabited houses.
Milkshops.—I visited 50 places in which milk was sold, and found many of the small retail
shops in a dirty condition, and the waterclosets, yards, &c., in connection with them defective. In 11
instances the milk measures were found to be dirty. In a district like Whitechapel the procedure
under the Dairies, Cowsheds, &c., Orders is attended by great difficulty, and often-repeated inspections
are necessary. Registration is effected in respect of places very unsuitable for the sale of milk, and
when improvement is insisted upon, the vendor changes his address. In many instances no application
for registration is made until the inspector visits and points out the requirement of the law.
Disinfection.—Sulphur fumigation is employed for the purpose of disinfecting rooms; in some
cases the walls are washed with solution of perchloride of mercury.
A steam disinfecting apparatus has been at work since May, 1893.
The question of providing a shelter for the accommodation of persons during the disinfection of
their rooms, as required by section 60 (4) of the Public Heath (London) Act is under consideration.
Mortuary.—The district possesses a good mortuary in which separate accommodation is provided
for the bodies of persons dying from non-infectious and infectious diseases. There is also separate
provision for the Jews, with a watcher's room adjoining the mortuary chamber. There is moreover a
well fitted post-mortem room.
Sanitary administration.
Whitechapel is divided for administrative purposes into two districts—north and south—
separated one from another by the Whitechapel-road. Mr. Loane tells me the work of the four
inspectors is arranged as follows—The senior inspector has general supervision over the others, and
undertakes certain special inspections; he keeps the books of the northern part of the district, and
purchases samples submitted to the public analyst under the Food and Drugs Acts. Two inspectors
deal with the majority of complaints received, one taking, as a rule, those in the north district, and the
other those in the south district. This latter inspector also keeps the books of the south district. The
fourth inspector deals with notified cases of infectious disease, with notifications received from the
Port Medical Officer of Health relating to the arrival of aliens in the district, and with workshops.
There is a clerk, who sometimes does inspectorial work, and an assistant inspector has been temporarily