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 1950
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Marylebone, Metropolitan Borough]
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Legal proceedings were instituted in 10 cases under the Public Health (London) Act, 193(5, in
respect of failure to comply with statutory notices. In 5 instances penalties amounting to £8 5s. 0d.
were imposed, costs being awarded to the Council in four of these. Costs without the imposition
of a fine were allowed in one other instance. In the remaining cases the summonses were withdrawn,
the necessary work having in the meantime been completed. Legal proceedings under the County
Council Bye-laws were taken in two instances, in one of which a conviction was obtained and a fine
of £1 0s. 0d. imposed. The other case was adjourned sine die.
TABLE 3.
| Nature of Nuisance | Districts | The Borough | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | No. 2 | No. 3 | No. 4 | No. 5 | No. 6 | ||
| Houses damp, dirty or dilapidated remedied | 70 | 83 | 380 | 153 | 143 | 218 | 1,047 |
| Doors, windows, floors, ceilings, sash cords, grates and flues, etc., repaired | 34 | 63 | 123 | 56 | 58 | 82 | 416 |
| Verminous dwellings disinfested | 66 | 41 | 115 | 143 | 87 | 65 | 517 |
| Verminous furniture and bedding disinfested | 58 | 29 | 44 | 31 | 12 | 77 | 251 |
| Overcrowding abated | 41 | 18 | 34 | 26 | 17 | 19 | 155 |
| Water closet defects remedied | 10 | 14 | 36 | 25 | 58 | 21 | 164 |
| Insufficient and unsuitable water closet accommodation remedied | - | - | - | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Urinal defects remedied | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | - | — | 4 |
| Drain and water closet stoppages cleared | 4 | 10 | 51 | 14 | 11 | 22 | 112 |
| Drains relaid or amended | 2 | - | 10 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 25 |
| Soilpipes and ventilating shafts repaired or renewed | 3 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| Waste pipe defects remedied | 2 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 17 | 55 |
| Yard defects remedied | 3 | — | 3 | — | 2 | 6 | 14 |
| Wash-house defects remedied | — | — | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 13 |
| Area defects remedied | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | 3 |
| Roofs and gutters repaired | 15 | 27 | 63 | 51 | 44 | 32 | 232 |
| Water supply to houses reinstated | 3 | 3 | — | 6 | 3 | — | 15 |
| Water supply laid on to upper storeys | 1 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 25 |
| Water cistern defects remedied | 4 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 27 |
| Dung or dust receptacles repaired or renewed | 4 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 5 | — | 28 |
| Rubbish, manure, etc., accumulations removed | 7 | 3 | 12 | 10 | 18 | 16 | 66 |
| Animal nuisances abated | — | — | 12 | — | — | — | 12 |
| Rat and mouse infestations dealt with | 139 | 170 | 270 | 251 | 295 | 316 | 1,441 |
| Bakehouses cleansed | 1 | — | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 13 |
| Smoke nuisances abated | - | — | 3 | 9 | — | 1 | 13 |
| Shops—sanitary defects remedied | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | — | 3 |
| Miscellaneous | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 40 |
| Totals | 475 | 482 | 1,209 | 823 | 798 | 927 | 4,714 |
Sanitary Accommodation at Public Houses.—In the report for the year 1949 reference was made to
a special survey of the sanitary accommodation at licensed premises in the Borough which had
revealed the general standard of accommodation to be satisfactory in 77 instances and unsatisfactory
in 51. The Council have no power to compel publicans to provide sanitary accommodation at their
premises for the use of the public, but the attention of the licensing justices was drawn to those
public houses where conditions were unsatisfactory. It is gratifying to report that, as a result of
representations which the justices subsequently made to the licensees concerned, the sanitary
accommodation at 14 premises had been reconditioned or reconstructed by the end of 1950 and work
at a further 8 premises was in hand. In addition, schemes were in course of preparation for dealing
with 6 more public houses. It is probable that even greater progress would have been made in this
direction but for the increasingly difficult position in relation to the granting of the necessary building
licences.
Water.—Although water for domestic purposes is obtained from private wells at a small number
of blocks of flats and offices, the chief source of a constant supply throughout the Borough is from
the mains of the Metropolitan Water Board. Two complaints as to quality were received during the
year and referred to the Board. In accordance with the provisions of the Public Health (London)
Act, 1936, the Board notified eight instances where water had been cut off in occupied premises for
non-payment of rates or for waste. In all cases the supply was reinstated, in four instances after
service of a notice.
New byelaws, to replace those issued in 1934, were made by the Metropolitan Water Board on
the 21st July, 1950, under section 16 of the Metropolitan Water Board Act, 1932, for preventing waste,
undue consumption, misuse or contamination of water.