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formed in Mile End New Town, in the Church District of Whitechapel,
in Spitalfields, in St. Mark's District, Goodman's Fields, and in St. Jude's
District, Commercial-street; and the importance of these associations in
relieving and encouraging the sick and destitute is shown in the several
letters which are printed in my report on the cholera in 1866. It cannot
however be expected that such societies will, under the existing state of
things, be carried on with much zeal, for since the enactment of the
several sanitary laws a staff of officers has been appointed to carry into
effect the provisions of the acts relating to the Public Health. There
are, however, now in existence in several districts in London, and elsewhere,
visiting and home missionary societies, whose usefulness would
be vastly increased if attention were paid to the existence of the
health destroying agents which so frequently surround the dwellings of
the poor, and if the visitors would confidentially inform the sanitary
officers of any nuisance which presents itself to their notice.
Since the date of my last report I received a letter from Mr. Ilott,
the resident Medical Officer of Health of the Whitechapel Union,
respecting the sudden death of a child, aged two months, in a cellar at
No. 24, Steward-street, Old Artillery Ground, informing me that at an
inquest which was held on the body of that child, the coroner and jury
requested him to report to the sanitary authority of the District that the
cellar in which three or four persons resided was in a foul, unwholesome
and uninhabitable state, and that the child's death was, in their opinion,
accelerated by its condition.
On visiting this cellar it was found to be occupied by a foreigner, his
wife and child, aud a man lodger; and was used by these parties as a
living and sleeping room, for which three shillings per week was paid for
rent. This cellar, which was originally used as a wash-house and coal
cellar, is dark and ill-ventilated, and is totally unfit to be used for a liviug
and sleeping room. Proceedings were taken against the occupier for
overcrowding, and the nuisance is abated.
From inquiries it was ascertained that the house, which was formerly
occupied by a respectable family, and for which a rent of £30 per annum
was paid, is now tenanted by several families, all of whom are foreigners,
and the house is now let at £60 per annum.
The Sanitary Inspectors have recently made another night visit to
three houses in Goulston-street, which they had reason to believe were overcrowded.
These houses contained 19 rooms, all of which were inspected