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
Marylebone 1921
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Marylebone, Metropolitan Borough]
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12
Legal Proceedings in Connection with Nuisances.
The number of summonses issued in respect of nuisances during the year was 15.
Particulars with regard to each of the cases are given below and it should be noted that in each instance, though there were contraventions of provisions contained in other acts and by-laws, the Public Heath (London) Act, 1891, is the only enactment mentioned in the list.
| Premises. | Offence. Proceedings taken under the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, &c. | Result. |
|---|---|---|
| 147, Carlisle Street | Failure to comply with a statutory notice to execute certain sanitary requirements. | Fined £25 and £5 5s. costs. |
| 37, Fisherton Street | Do. | No fine. £2 2s. costs. |
| 135, Carlisle Street | Do. | Fined £16 and £6 6s. costs. |
| 14, New Street, St. John's Wood | Do. | Fined £10 and £2 2s. costs. |
| 15, Aberdeen Place | Do. | No fine. £2 2s. costs. |
| 27, Henry Street | Do. | Orders made for abatement of nuisance in 14 days in each case. |
| 31, „ | Do. | |
| 35, „ | Do. | |
| 36, Richmond Street | Do. | No fine. £l Is. costs. |
| 84, „ | Do. | Adjourned sine die as certain works had been completed. |
| 72, „ | Do. | Adjourned sine die in view of the fact that dilapidation notices had been served on the defendant by the Freeholders, and these notices covered the statutory notices served by the Council. |
| 76, „ | Do. | |
| 80, „ | Do. | |
| 82, „ | Do. | |
| 88, „ | Do. |
Rat Repression.
The number of complaints received during the year, viz., 95, was practically the
same as in 1920, and may be taken to indicate continued desire on the part of the
public to deal with the nuisance rather than a want of improvement in the general
condition of the Borough. The investigation of these complaints necessitated the
inspection of 101 premises, 37 of which were used for business purposes (17 of these
for the preparation or storage of food), the remaining 64 being private or tenement
houses. In 34 of the cases investigated the infestation was directly attributable to
defects in the drainage system and disappeared immediately these were remedied. In
every instance all advice and assistance was given to the owner or occupier by
Inspector Draper, who continued to act as Rat Officer, and to obtain excellent results
from the methods advocated.
A Rat Week was held during the year from October 31st to November 5th, 1922,
and attracted a considerable amount of attention to the subject. Great assistance
was obtained from the Borough Surveyor and his staff, and also from a number of
large firms in the Borough. The result, it is safe to state, was a considerable
reduction in the rat population of the sewers and other places affected by these
vermin.