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 1883
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Whitechapel]
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The superficial area of the building is about 323 square yards,
which affords only 2.1 square yards for each person ; but if the twenty
empty rooms were occupied the superficial area would be much less."
Mr. Wrack further reports upon the condition of the premises
known as Plough Street Buildings, Whitechapel. The ground floor of
the place is occupied as shops ; the other part of the building is divided
into 42 tenements which consist of 83 rooms ; four of the rooms were
empty at the time of his visit, the remaining 79 rooms are occupied
by 178 persons, viz. 91 adults and 87 children ; the tenants are of the
lower order of foreigners and are very dirty. There is no yard or
open space to the Building, several of the rooms are so dark as to
render them unfit for habitation, and some of the passages are also
dark. There are 21 water closets which are placed in the several
passages adjoining the rooms. The place generally is in a very dirty
condition. The superficial area of the same is about 418 square yards
which gives 2.3 yards for each person. The construction of the
Building is similar to that in Shepherd's Buildings, Spitalfields, and
has been built about four years.
Sanitary Works Performed during the Quarter
ended 31st March, 1883.
The following return shows the amount of work done by the Sanitary Inspectors during the Quarter ended 31st March, 1883.
| Number of inspections of houses as shown in the official returns | 2630 |
| Houses specially visited | 217 |
| Houses specially re-visited | 868 |
| Preliminary notices served, such notices embracing 242 premises | ls8 |
| Compulsory orders issued, embracing 60 premises | 36 |
| Summonses heard at Police Courts, under Sanitary Act | 0 |
| Summonses under Act for the prevention of Adulteration of Food, &c | 2 |
| Cellars used as dwellings discontinued for such use | 4 |
| Cases of overcrowding and indecent occupation abated | 4 |
| Houses in which rooms or passages have been whitewashed | 83 |
| Rooms disinfected with sulphurous-acid gas, after the occurrence of small-pox, fever, and scarlet-fever therein | 20 |
| Articles, consisting of beds, bedding, clothing, &c., removed from rooms to the Stone Yard and disinfected in the Apparatus | 778 |