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These Regulations were drafted under Section 10 of the City of London
Sewers Act, 1851, which reads as follows:—
"And whereas the Owners and Keepers of Lodging Houses of an
"inferior description, for the accommodation of mendicants and strangers,
"and other persons for the night or other short periods, and of other
"houses inhabited by the poorer classes of people, allow the same to be
"crowded by receiving more lodgers than such lodging houses are
"adapted to contain with a due regard to health, and allow many
"persons of both sexes to be crowded together in a single room, and
"allow persons afflicted with fever and other diseases of a contagious
"or infectious nature to remain in them till infection has been
"communicated to other lodgers, and receive other lodgers into the
"apartments and beds from which diseased persons have been removed
"without any purifying or other disinfecting process : Be it enacted,
"That whenever the Medical Officer of Health shall certify that the
"owner or keeper of any Common Lodging House has received into
"such lodging house more lodgers than the same is adapted to contain
"with due regard to health, or has suffered them to be crowded together
"in an indecent and improper manner, or has allowed persons afflicted
"with contagious or infectious disorders to remain therein, or has
"received other lodgers into the apartments and beds from which
"diseased persons have been removed, without previously purifying or
"disinfecting the same, or that the house is unfit for the reception of
"lodgers, either from being ill-ventilated or not sufficiently cleansed, or
"from any other reason whatever, or that any undue or excessive
"sickness or mortality has occurred in such house, and Notice of the
"Medical Officer of Health having so certified shall have been given by
"the Commissioners to the owner or keeper of such lodging house after
"such notice shall have been so given or left as aforesaid to accom"modate
or receive any lodgers therein unless and until such house
"shall have been registered in a book to be kept by the Commissioners
"for that purpose ; and it shall be lawful for the Commissioners from
"time to time to fix and determine the number of lodgers who may be
"accommodated in each such lodging house, and to make such other
"Regulations as they shall think necessary for the preservation of
"decency and health, and the names of the keepers of such lodging
"houses shall be recorded by the Commissioners in a Register to be
"kept for that purpose ; and the Commissioners may order that a ticket
"containing the number of lodgers for which the house is registered
"and any Rules or Instructions of the Commissioners regarding health,
"cleanliness or ventilation, shall be hung up or placed in a conspicuous
''part of each room into which lodgers are received ; and the keepers of
"all such lodging houses shall at all times give access to such room
"when required by any person appointed by the Commissioners for the
"purpose of making an inspection and inquiry, or for the purpose of