Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Whitechapel]
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18
The Deaths took place as follows:—
In the Whiteehapel Infirmary 142
,, London Hospital 14
,, South Grove Workhouse 3
,, City of London Infirmary 1
,, Colney Hatch Asylum 1
,, Grove Hall Asylum 1
,, London County Asylum 1
,, German Hospital 1
At the Several Lodging-Houses 10
174
These Registered Common Lodging-Houses Deaths were registered as
caused by the following Diseases :—
Zymotic Diseases 6
Constitutional Diseases 80
Respiratory ,, 33
Heart ,, 13
Diseases of the Digestive System 3
„ „ Nervous ,, 16
,, ,, Urinary ,, 12
All other Diseases 5
174
Notwithstanding the Local Government Board investigation into the
influence of these institutions upon the persons who
Philanthropic frequent them, I have heard nothing as to new legislaShelters.
tion respecting them. We have 4 Salvation Army
Shelters in the District, and 8 other shelters of various
deEcriptions. The latter altogether provide for so few that I need
scarcely allude to them. If we eliminate Barnardo's Shelters, which
contributed 58 persons to the Union Infirmary and Workhouse during the
year, only 37 were left to represent the remaining shelters. I append
several interesting sets of figures showing the results of the rivalry which
exists between the two classes of Lodging-houses which compete for the
custom of the poorest classes. Salvation Army Shelters at the time I
am writing provide accommodation for 956 persons in the 4 buildings.
The Common Lodging-houses are registered to accommodate 5,612
persons. The former contributed 23 per cent, of the total admissions
which took place into the Poor Law Institutions of the District, and the
latter assisted to the extent of 44.3 per cent. So that whereas the former
provide accommodation for about a sixth of the number provided for by
the Owners of the Registered Common Lodging-houses, they feed the
Workhouse and Infirmary to the extent of more than one half the
number coming from the Registered Common Lodging-houses. Many
conclusions may be drawn from a perusal of the Tables here appended by
those who care to do so. During the last half of the year I have had much
correspondence with the Officers of the Salvation Army, and some interviews
have also taken place, on the general subject of improved ventilation
and also upon the minimum accommodation which should be provided
for (acl i shelter. I have to record my appreciation of the great courtesy
which I have always received from these gentlemen.
The accommodation is provided by means of bunks, single beds, or
tiers of bunks. The difficulty was to arrive at some standard minimum
measurement of space to be allotted to each person using the shelters. I
claimed that as the Local Government Board insisted upon 30 superficial
feet of floor space per head in their Casual Wards, such should be the
lowest limit which each bunk or bed should occupy. This would have
reduced the accommodation so greatly that consent could not be given to
the proposition.