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
Acton 1909
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Acton]
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standard of cubic space in regard to it. In practice, the
standard laid down in the Bye-laws for houses let in lodgings
is usually accepted, namely, 400 cubic feet per adult in rooms
used for both living and sleeping, and 300 cubic feet for rooms
used for sleeping only, with half these amounts for every child
under 12 years of age. In Holland Terrace overcrowding
existed in 25 per cent, of the houses and in Petersfield Road 30
per cent. It is now generally admitted that overcrowding
brings about certain physical defects. The sickness rate and
death-rate of a district are directly and indirectly affected by
overcrowding.
The other chief sanitary defects are specified in the table.
| Holland Trrace. | Osborne Road. | Petersfielid Road. | Bollo Lane. | Somerset Road. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houses inspected | 31 | 48 | 53 | 43 | 74 |
| Number overcrowded | 8 | — | 16 | 6 | 9 |
| Defective Drains | 13 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 15 |
| Defective Yard Paving | 31 | 31 | 25 | 16 | 43 |
| Defective W.C.'s (including appliances) | 12 | 11 | 46 | 14 | 36 |
| Untrapped Rain Water Pipes | 1 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 9 |
| Damp Walls or Ceilings | 18 | 8 | 14 | 7 | 15 |
| Number of Rooms in a dirty state | 44 | 49 | 128 | 20 | 126 |
FACTORIES AND WORKSHOPS.
The number of Workshops on the register at the end of
1909 was 424.
The Inspection of Factories comes mainly within the
province of H.M. Inspector of Factories. The enforcement of
Section 22 of the Public Health Amendment Act, 1890, is