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
Penge 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Penge]
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39
A sanitary survey is made of each house, the drains
tested with smoke, all inspection covers taken off and the
chambers inspected.
Where the house has a drinking water cistern it is
examined, and the tenants informed when it is found to be
dirty. There are many tenants, even in the better class
houses, who are under the impression that it is not their
duty to keep the cisterns cleansed.
The following works were carried out as the result of house-to-house inspections:—
| Water Supply— | |
| Cisterns cleansed | 20 |
| Cisterns provided with covers or covers repaired | 7 |
| Water Closets— | |
| New water closet basins and traps | 8 |
| Flushing apparatus renewed or repaired | 20 |
| Foul pans cleansed | 5 |
| Drainage— | |
| Drains cleansed | 5 |
| Houses provided with new drains | 4 |
| Houses with drains repaired or partially relaid | 3 |
| Aggregate length of pipes laid (in feet) | 162 |
| Number of syphon gullies provided | 5 |
| Grids provided to existing gullies | 6 |
| Inspection chambers constructed | 2 |
| Inspection chambers improved | 2 |
| Fresh air inlets provided or repaired | 5 |
| New soil and ventilating pipes fixed | 9 |
| Ventilating pipes repaired | 13 |
| Other defects remedied | 6 |
| Sinks— | |
| Sink waste pipes renewed, repaired or trapped | 3 |