London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Shoreditch 1912
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
This page requires JavaScript
In the subjoined table is contained a summary giving an idea as to the nature of the work done for the abatement of nuisances and for improving the dwellings of the people in the Borough, which has been compiled from the abstracts of their work prepared by the sanitary inspectors:—
| Insp. Firth. | Insp. Jordan. | Insp. Lang-Btone. | Insp. Pearson , | Insp. Stokes. | Insp. Wright. | Insp. Pratt. | Insp. Chapman. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New drains constructed | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 116 | 27 | 156 | ||
| Drains re-constructed or repaired | 67 | 41 | 32 | 59 | 117 | 30 | 346 | ||
| Sinks trapped and disconnected | 95 | 36 | 6 | 46 | 51 | 45 | 1 | 280 | |
| Stack pipes reinstated | 130 | 39 | 60 | 121 | 120 | 98 | 7 | 565 | |
| Eaves gutters reinstated | 102 | 14 | 43 | 119 | 113 | 75 | 2 | 7 | 475 |
| Stack pipes disconnected | 83 | 31 | 1 | 5 | 23 | 8 | 280 | ||
| Accumulations of sewage removed | 17 | 16 | 40 | 106 | 3 | 2 | 184 | ||
| Cesspools abolished | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| New water closets constructed | 7 | 60 | 10 | 130 | 10 | 1 | • • | 218 | |
| W.c.'s re-constructed or repaired | 91 | 60 | 36 | 100 | 91 | 29 | 3 | 4 | 414 |
| W.c.'s cleansed and white-washed | 58 | 197 | 50 | 207 | 447 | 173 | 1 | 30 | 1163 |
| W.c.'s flushing apparatus repaired | 66 | 88 | 74 | 144 | 186 | 66 | 8 | 5 | 637 |
| Obstructions in w.c.'s removed | 33 | 20 | 25 | 49 | 108 | 36 | 2 | 1 | 274 |
| Overcrowding in houses abated | 52 | 8 | 18 | 12 | 48 | 46 | 2 | 186 | |
| Damp courses in houses provided | 27 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 49 | |
| Walls pointed | 78 | 4 | 14 | 28 | 10 | 23 | 8 | 165 | |
| Roofs repaired | 105 | 46 | 134 | 157 | 116 | 145 | 10 | 15 | 728 |
| Stairs repaired | 51 | 17 | 13 | 14 | 95 | 43 | 233 | ||
| Floors repaired | 33 | 22 | 49 | 62 | 108 | 65 | 9 | 23 | 371 |
| Ventilation under floors provided | 17 | 2 | 9 | 20 | 100 | 1 | 149 | ||
| Doors repaired | 18 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 97 | 51 | 1 | 2 | 212 |
| Door cills provided | 40 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 63 | |||
| Sashes repaired | 13 | 7 | 31 | 27 | 96 | 46 | 3 | 223 | |
| Houses cleansed throughout | 49 | 54 | 53 | 79 | 84 | 135 | 2 | 456 | |
| Houses cleansed in part | 208 | 28 | 206 | 213 | 74 | 62 | 28 | 57 | 876 |
| Total number of rooms cleansed | 668 | 567 | 846 | 946 | 1047 | 1364 | 54 | 211 | 5703 |
| Yards or areas lime-washed | 70 | 146 | 39 | 135 | 432 | 179 | 7 | 25 | 1033 |
| Yards paved | 89 | 40 | 31 | 95 | 71 | 61 | 3 | 390 | |
| Areas and forecourts paved | 15 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 39 | ||
| New areas constructed | 10 | 1 | 2 | 13 | |||||
| Sculleries paved | 6 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 30 | |||
| Dust receptacles provided | 112 | 38 | 79 | 74 | 81 | 57 | 7 | 12 | 460 |
| Dung receptacles provided | 7 | 2 | 9 | ||||||
| Insanitary cisterns removed | 1 | 1 | 2 |
In connection with the above 2 old brick drains were abolished, and in 91
instances nuisances and annoyance due to rats on premises were dealt with. In
230 instances water supplies were restored to premises, and in 162, leaky water
pipes were repaired. In 10 instances urinals were constructed or reconstructed,
and in 23 instances they were cleansed and repaired. Foul accumulations causing