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 1902
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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| Metropolitan borough. | Number of sanitary inspectors. | Census, 1901. || | Duties of sanitary inspectors. | Assistants. | Clerical staff. | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inhabited houses. | Total tenements. | Tenements under 5 rooms. | Overcrowde tenements. | Population. | Population in tenements under 5 rooms. | Population in . overcrowded tenements. | 1 Inhabited houses. | Tenements. | Average per sanitanlf | inspector. | |||||||||
| > Males | Females | Tenements under 5 rooms. | Over-crowded tone- ments. | Population. | Population in tenements under 5 rooms. | Population in overcrowded tenements. | |||||||||||||
| Battersea | 1 | 38,987 | 24,089 | One supervises generally, inspects in all cases of importance and where statutory proceedings are about to be taken, and is specially concerned with combined drainage. Eight have each an assigned district, in which they are'concerned with duties under the Public Health Act. They supervise drainage of new buildings, for which they receive £10 more yearly. Two of these perform duties under the Food and Drugs Act, being assisted by a deputy. One is concerned with factories, workshops and workplaces. One (female) inspects places employing female labour, and investigates fatal cases of diarrhoea, etc. | 5 | ||||||||||||||
| Bermondsey | — | One supervises generally, performs duties arising under Food and Drugs Act in whole parish, takes part in house-to-house inspection, and inspects bakehouses, slaughterhouses, cowhouses and common lodging-houses. Eight have each an assigned district, in which they are concerned with duties arising under the Public Health, Factory and Workshop, and Food and Drugs Acts. They also supervise drainage work, either construction or reconstruction. | 3 and 2 office youths. | ||||||||||||||||
| Bethnal-green | — | One superintends, attends all committee meetings, and is responsible for the operations of the entire sanitary staff. Five have each an allotted district, in which they are concerned with duties arising under Public Health Act. One is concerned with duties under the Factory and Workshop Act, outworkers and the like, the inspection of registered tenement houses, cowsheds and milk shops. One is concerned with the inspection of food, slaughterhouse and offensive trade premises. One supervises construction of new buildings. | (à) 1 general assistant. (á) 3 disinfecting assistants. (c) Mortuary keeper. (d) 1 urinal flusher. | 5 | |||||||||||||||
| Camberwell | 4,073 | 18,524 | One is concerned with smoke nuisances and Food and Drugs Act, and is emergency inspector under all Act sof Parliament relating to public health. Eleven have each an allotted district in which they carry out duties arising under the Public Health and Factory and Workshop Acts and exceptionally under the Food and Drugs Act. One is mainly occupied in clerical duties and inspects in emergency cases. One (female) is chiefly concerned with laundries, factories and workshops employing female labour. | (à) 7 disinfecting assistants. (b) 1 mortuary keeper. | 3 • | ||||||||||||||
| Chelsea | 3 | 17,46 | 37,723 | 2,160 | 18,460 | 2,665 | Two have an allotted district, in which each is concerned with house-to-house inspection, and inspection under the Factory and Workshop Act, and (with assistants) disinfects clothing and bedding. One carries out duties connected wth infectious disease and complaints, and obtains samples under the Food and Drugs Act. One (female) is concerned with inspection of workshops and outworkers' homes where female labour is employed. Also special investigations. | (a) Mortuary keeper. (b) 2 disinfecting and drain-test-ing assistants. | None. | ||||||||||
| Deptford | — | 110,398 | 1,428 | Five have each an assigned district in which they perform generally the duties of a sanitary inspector. One is charged with the duties under the Dairies and Milks hops Order, Factory and Workshop Act, Canal Boats Acts, and the regulations as to slaughterhouses, knackers' yards, offensive businesses, throughout the borough. One is concerned with infectious disease. All inspectors are qualified to act under the Food and Drugs Act. | (a) 2 disinfecting assistants. | None. | |||||||||||||
| Finsbury | — | 24,097 | 20,515 | 6,373 | 101,463 | 78,346 | 35,723 | 1,031 | 2,677 | 708 | 11,274 | 8,705 | 3,969 | Six have each an allotted district in which they cany out duties imposed by the Metropolis Management, Public Health and Food and Drugs Acts, and supervise sanitary and drainage works in old buildings. They also supervise houses let in lodgings and are concerned with smoke nuisances. One also has oversight of Regent's Canal (within borough) and boats thereon. One is concerned with Factory and Workshop inspection. One is a meat and market inspector. One supervises generally. | (à) 1 assistant disinfector. (á) 2 mortuary keepers (one of whom disinfects). (c) 1 shelter keeper (also disinfects rooms). | 2 and 1 office youth | |||
* For the purposes of this report the term “overcrowded tenementa” is applied to those tenements of less than 5 rooms which at the date of the 1001
census were occupied to the extent of more than two persons per room.
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