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
London County Council 1901
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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In the remaining districts the facts cannot be thus stated, but the following may be noted—
Holborn.—This comprises the old sanitary district of St. Giles and the major portion of the
old sanitary district of Holborn, the only comparison possible for the present purpose is that between
the facts for the present Metropolitan Borough of Holborn and those for the former sanitary districts
of St. Giles and Holborn.
Finsbury.—This borough comprises the old sanitary district of Clerkenwell and St. Luke,
together with a small portion of the old sanitary district of Holborn. As the facts for this portion of
Holborn cannot be ascertained those relating to the old sanitary districts of Clerkenwell and St.
Luke afford the only basis of comparison with those relating to the present borough of Finsbury.
Deptford.—This borough practically coincides in area with that of the parish of St. Paul,
Deptford. The facts relating to the sanitary staff in the year 1898 relate to the parishes of St. Paul
and St. Nicholas, Deptford, and cannot be separately distinguished for the latter parish.
Greenwich.—This borough comprises the parishes of St. Nicholas, Deptford, Greenwich,
Charlton and Kidbrooke. The return of 1898 does not record the facts for Kidbrooke and St. Nicholas,
Deptford, and comparison with the present borough of Greenwich in the table is therefore limited to
the parishes of Charlton and Greenwich. The number of sanitary inspectors in 1898 is somewhat
under-stated inasmuch as the duties of one of the inspectors employed by the Lee Board of
Works in that year related to the whole of the district under the Board's jurisdiction.
Lewisham.—This borough comprises the parish of Lee and the former sanitary district of
Lewisham less the hamlet of Penge. In the following table comparison has been instituted between
the facts relating to the old sanitary area of Lewisham and the present metropolitan borough.
Woolwich.—This borough comprises the old sanitary districts of Woolwich and Plumstead, and
the parish of Eltham.
| Metropolitan Boroughs. | Areas to which the facts of 1898 relate. | Enumerated population 1901 (preliminary census). | Number of Sanitary Inspectors. | Increase (+) or decrease (—) in 1901 compared with 1898. | Population to each sanitary inspector. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | 1901 | 1898 | 1901 | ||||
| Holborn | Old sanitary districts of St. Giles and Holborn | 59,390 | †9 | *5 | †— 4 | 7,716 | 11,878 |
| Finsbury | Old sanitary districts of Clerkenwell and St. Luke | 101,476 | 5 | 7 | + 2 | 21,546 | 14,497 |
| Deptford | Parishes of St. Paul and St. Nicholas, | 110,513 | 6 | 5 | — 1 | 19,166 | 22,103 |
| Greenwich | Parishes of Greenwich and Charlton | 95,757 | 4 | 5 | + 1 | 18,633 | 19,151 |
| Lewisham | Old sanitary district of Lewisham | 127,460 | 7 | 6 | — 1 | 14,932 | 21,243 |
| Woolwich | Old sanitary districts of Woolwich and Plumstead, together with the parish of Eltham | 117,165 | 8 | 8 | ... | 13,310 | 14,646 |
*Including one vacancy and one temporary inspector.
†One of these inspectors was concerned with meat inspection only, and is now employed by the Finsbury
Borough Council. It should also be pointed out that three of the Dine inspectors shown in the table were
attached to the surveyor's department of St. Giles' Board of Works.
The information upon which this return is based has been supplied by the medical officers of
health of the several boroughs.
Shirley F. Murphy,
Medical Officer of Health.