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
Whitechapel 1875
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Whitechapel]
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much lower than it is in any of the other Sub-districts, it is therefore the
most healthy in the entire District, such a conclusion would be erroneous.
From the Table which is printed in my last Annual Report, it appears that,
with the exception of the Goodman's Fields Sub-district, which was the
lowest for that year, not much difference is found to exist in the rates of
mortality in the several Sub-districts. The death-rate of children is, however,
higher in the Whitechapel District, both in relation to the total deaths and
the total births, than in the whole of London.
From the following Table it will be seen that a large amount of sanitary
work has been accomplished during the year. To the amount of work set
forth in this Table, there must be added that which the Inspectors have done
under the Adulteration of Food Act; but as only one prosecution has taken
place during the last twelve months, although several analyses of food have
been made by Dr. Tidy, I have not recorded the particulars in this Report.
| Number of inspections of houses, as shown in the official returns | 12,732 |
| Number of rooms found to be over-crowded, the space being less than 300 cubic feet for each person, reckoning 2 children under 10 years of age for one adult—nuisance in each case abated | 28 |
| Number of cases of indecent occupation discovered | 28 |
| Houses specially visited | 748 |
| Houses specially re-visited | 3266 |
| Rooms disinfected with sulphurous-acid gas, after the occurrence of fever and scarlet-fever therein | 100 |
| Articles disinfected, consisting of beds, bedding, clothing, &c. | 128 |
| Preliminary notices served, such notices embracing 1241 premises | 911 |
| Compulsory orders issued, embracing 362 premises | 143 |
| Summonses heard at Police Courts, under Sanitary Act | 21 |
| Ditto ditto, Adulteration of Food Act. | |
| Houses in which rooms or passages have been whitewashed | 646 |
| Ventilation of houses improved | 0 |
| Yards of houses paved or the pavement repaired | 224 |
| Cesspools abolished | 7 |
| Drains in houses improved | 239 |
| Dust-bins | 74 |
| Privies lime-washed, cleansed and repaired | 432 |
| Water-butts and cisterns provided or repaired | 35 |
| Area gratings, cellar flaps, &c., repaired | 17 |
| Cellars used as dwellings discontinued for such use | 11 |
| Nuisances from dung and other offensive matter removed | 74 |
The cow-houses in the District, 25, and the slaughter-houses, 33 in
number, have been visited four times during the year.