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 1903
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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London County Council.
SANITARY OFFICERS.
Report by the medical officer on the sanitary staffs of the metropolitan boroughs.
(Printed by order of the Public Health Committee.)
Public Health Department,
8, St. Martin's-place,
June, 1904.
I present a return based upon information supplied by the medical officers of health of the
City and the metropolitan boroughs. During the last eleven years returns have been presented to
the Public Health Committee giving particulars as to the sanitary inspectors employed in the several
districts of London. Each return has shown an increase upon the numbers stated in the preceding
return, and the facts which have been ascertained for the purposes of the present return indicate
still further increase. The following table shows the number of inspectors employed in London in
several years to which the returns relate—
Number of sanitary inspectors
Year. in the whole of London.
1893 188a
1894 219a
1895 228a
1898 256a
1901 275
1903 301
1904 313
Thus it will be seen that since 1893 the number of inspectors has increased by some 66 per cent. In 1903, the number of sanitary inspectors employed in each of the metropolitan boroughs was ascertained and comparison between these numbers and those obtaining in 1904 may thus be made —
| Metropolitan boroughs. | Number of sanitary inspectors. | Increase ( + ) or decrease (-) in 1904 compared with 1903. | Metropolitan boroughs. | Number of sanitary inspectors. | Increase (+) or decrease (-) in 1904 compared with 1903. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903. | 1904. | 1903. | 1904. | ||||
| Battersea | 11 | 13 | + 2 | Lewisham | 8 | 10 | + 2 |
| Bermondsey | 9 | 9 | — | Paddington | 12 | 12 | — |
| Bethnal-green | 9 | 10 | + 1 | Poplar | 8 | 8 | — |
| Camberwell | 14 | 14 | — | St. Marylebone | †8 | †8 | — |
| Chelsea | 4 | 4 | — | St. Pancras | 16 | 16 | — |
| Deptford | 7 | 8 | + 1 | Shoreditch | 6 | 6 | — |
| Finsbury | 9 | 10 | + 1 | South wark | 17 | 16 | - 1 |
| Fulham | 6 | 7 | + 1 | Stepney | 18 | 18 | — |
| Greenwich | ‡7 | †6 | - 1 | Stoke Newington | 3 | 3 | — |
| Hackney | 14 | ‡7 | + 3 | Wandsworth | §§11 | 11 | — |
| Hammersmith | 9 | 9 | — | Westminster, City of | 11 | 12 | + 1 |
| Hampstead | 7 | 7 | — | Woolwich | 9 | 10 | + 1 |
| Holborn | 5 | 4 | - 1 | City of London | ||17 | || 19 | + 2 |
| Islington | 20 | 20 | — | ||||
| Kensington | 13 | 13 | — | ||||
| Lambeth | 13 | 13 | — | ||||
a Excluding inspectors employed in districts mentioned in Schedule C of the Metropolis Management Act.
|| Including eight meat inspectors in 1904 and seven in 1903. † Including one temporary inspector.
‡ Including two temporary inspectors.
§§ There are also five inspectors concerned with drains and sanitary fittings in old and new houses ; these officers are
under the direction and control of the surveyors.
Of the 313 inspectors now employed in London 28 are women. At the date of the last return
20 of the sanitary inspectors were women. The increase in the total number of inspectors in London
since the date of the last return is therefore largely due to the appointment of women inspectors who
are now employed in 21 districts, for the most part in the inspection of factories and workshops
employing female labour.
Shirley f. Murphy,
Medical Officer of Health.
printed FOR the london county council by jas. truscott and son, ltd.,
And may be purchased, either directly or through any Bookseller, from
P. S. KING AND SON,
2 and 4, Great Smith-street, Victoria-street, Westminster, S.W.,
Agents for the sale of the Publications of the London County Council.
No. 735. Price 3d., post free, 3½d.
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