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

Ruislip-Northwood 1952

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ruislip]

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Table: 2. COMPLAINTS

2. COMPLAINTS

One thousand six hundred and eighty-five complaints were received from the public in 1952 regarding the following matters:—
Defective drains and sanitary fittings371
Defective water fittings and pipes24
Defective or dirty walls and ceilings4
Defective roofs and gutters13
Defective fireplaces and flues8
Defective doors and windows1
Defective sinks, baths and wash basins2
Defective floors1
Defective dustbins32
Dampness23
Other housing defects24
Infestation by vermin (bed bugs and fleas)9
Infestation by insects (including ants, mosquitoes, flies, wasps, etc.)115
Infestation by rats and mice676
Accumulation of refuse and manure20
Animals kept in such a state as to be a nuisance11
Gipsy encampments14
Insanitary conditions of ponds and ditches6
Unsatisfactory housing conditions and overcrowding15
Aged or infirmed persons and dirty tenants3
Obnoxious smells50
Nuisance caused by excessive noise2
Unsound food225
Insanitary state of yards and gardens13
Light obstruction to dwellings1
Miscellaneous nuisances22
Total number of complaints received1,685

Table: 3. SUMMARY OF SANITARY IMPROVEMENTS AND REPAIRS CARRIED OUT

3. SUMMARY OF SANITARY IMPROVEMENTS AND REPAIRS CARRIED OUT

Roofs repaired17
Gutters and rain-water pipes repaired22
Damp walls remedied65
Wall and ceiling plaster repaired47
Water waste preventors repaired or renewed3
W.C. pans renewed4
Water tanks, pipes and fittings renewed or repaired48