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Officers of -t'he Board of Works for the Whitechapel District.
Sanitary Department:
No. 15, Great Alie Street,
London, E.,
January 27th, 1898.
Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present for your consideration my Fourteenth
Annual Report upon the sanitary condition of the Whitechapel District. It
is impossible to review the changes which have taken place during the past
few years without feeling thankful that so much has been achieved, and I
congratulate you upon the success which has attended your endeavours to
keep pace with the work which has, at times, threatened to overwhelm your
officers. This success has been brought about by the readiness with which
you have always fallen in with my request for more help when I have from
time to time asked for it. A dozen years since, the sanitary duties of your
Board were performed by a staff of two Inspectors, assisted by two
labourers. All clothing, and articles which had been exposed to infectious
diseases, were stoved in an oven where they would have been charred if
sufficient heat had been employed to properly disinfect them, and the dustbins
in most yards were large enough to contain a month's refuse of every
description. They were frequently placed in close proximity to windows of
living rooms, and even bedrooms. Dustbins have now practically disappeared,
and a daily collection of house refuse removes the annoyance and
danger to which the occupants of houses throughout the District were often
exposed.
The work in connection with infectious diseases is now under the control
of a competent Inspector who supervises the collection, disinfection and
subsequent return of all goods which have been exposed to infection. The
Routine Work which is performed by this Officer, in every case where a
notification of an infectious disease has been received, will be found set out
in the Appendix to this Eeport.
After reading the instructions, it will be understood that not every man
is suitable for this special duty, requiring, as it does, great judgment as well
as delicacy in its performance.
The Engineer who is responsible for the care and management of the
disinfecting machine, was employed by the manufacturer in its construction.
With the tools which he now possesses, he is able to keep the apparatus
in repair, as well as properly to work it : his colleagues are employed in
bringing in and returning all goods which require treatment in the apparatus.
When these men have the time to do so, they collect and disinfect such
bedding and articles of wearing apparel as may require such treatment, even
apart from the presence of notifiable diseases.
The five General Inspectors, aided by the Clerk in my Department, have
now the fullest occupation in attending to duties which have been continuously
increasing for years past. One has only to contemplate the Acts of
Parliament which have been added to the Statute Book since I took charge
of the Sanitary Department, to be sure, that even the present staff often
have their resources taxed to the utmost.
They are enthusiastic workers—men whose work I highly appreciateand
I would earnestly ask all Members of the Board to help in every way to
encourage and assist Officers who so loyally perform duties which are
onerous always,.and very often difficult to perform.