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 1912

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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75
Report of the County Medical Officer—General.
As an instance of the beneficial effect of inspection under the Act, Dr. Thomas, medical officer
of health of Finsbury, mentions the case of a workshop where table sauce made principally of pressed
dates, old and of poor quality, was being mixed in a galvanised iron bath, afterwards being ladled into
bottles by means of a jug. The surroundings were dirty, and hair oil, lime, cream, perfumery, and
boot polish were being made in the same room. After inspection the business was discontinued. In
Shoreditch a bake-house was being used as a sleeping place; the occupier was informed that the use of
the room was illegal, and it was thereupon discontinued. Dr. Allan, medical officer of health of Westminster,
refers to the increasing use of deep basements and sub-basements as workplaces and restaurants
and to the special difficulties met with in securing the proper ventilation, warming, and lighting
of premises of this character. There is mention in one or two of the reports of unventilated or defective
gas heating arrangements, but this defect appears to be much less frequent than in previous years.
Places where food is prepared for sale.

Table: applied and nearly all the reports give account of the action taken. The following table summarises the information thus available and shows the number of these premises in each metropolitan borough and other particulars :—

applied and nearly all the reports give account of the action taken. The following table summarises the information thus available and shows the number of these premises in each metropolitan borough and other particulars :—

Metropolitan borough.Number of places.No. of inspections, 1912.No. of notices, 1912.No. of prosecutions, 1912.
On register at end of 1911.Added in 1912.Removed in 1912.On register at end of 1912.
City of London243__215–––
Battersea17425181814919—
Bermondsey139—1912011711—
Bethnal Green1045710223633—
Camberwell21917731634606—
Chelsea30—228191—
Deptford12924211322157—
Finsbury97——10612618—
Fulham———————
Greenwich11813612513220—
Hackney175——19018631—
Hammersmith17071176866—
Hampstead32248017114—
Holborn358835125——
Islington22913182249821—
Kensington173676917118414—
Lambeth——–—.———
Lewisham——————
Paddington1081210110114——
Poplar116——1242333—
St. Marylebone9615710412020—
St. Pancras491——491302—
Shoreditch95799315424—
Southwark———14226796—
Stepney18525920132537—
Stoke Newington38——————
Wandsworth304311332254241—
Westminster, City of174———30—
Woolwich891111891425—

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Ice-cream
premises.
Other
premises
where food is
prepared for
sale.
Further powers for the sanitary control of premises upon which food is prepared for sale are
conferred upon sanitary authorities by section 8 of the London County Council (General Powers)
Act of 1908.
This section provides against contamination of the food by urinals, waterclosets, ashpits, etc.,
requires that the water supply shall be free from contamination by any watercloset, prohibits drain
inlets within the building and the deposit of refuse beyond that which is required for the purposes
of the trade, and, moreover, requires due cleanliness to be observed in regard to the room or shop
and the apparatus and utensils and persons employed in it. A considerable amount of work has been
one in London under these powers, various conditions having been dealt with in their administration.
18820 K 2