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
City of London 1905
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Port of London]
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to the notice of your Worshipful Committee, who carefully considered the
various methods of lighting institutions. It was decided that ordinary coal
gas should be used if it could be obtained at a reasonable cost.
The Gravesend and Milton Gas Company were communicated with, and it
was ascertained that they were willing to lay a gas main to the Hospital under
certain conditions, the chief one being a contribution of money towards the
cost of laying the main. The sum of 100l. was agreed upon to be paid them,
and also the sum of 2l. 10s. per annum to be paid to the South Eastern
and Chatham Railway Company, in consideration of the main being allowed
to be laid along the canal bank, which is the property of the Railway
Company.
Every room and ward will now be lighted with incandescent gas burners,
whilst provision will be made for a large external light at the entrance gate,
which will light up the whole causeway and the entrance to the Hospital.
An external light will also be provided in the neighbourhood of the
disinfector, which will enable the process of disinfection to be carried on at
night, and thus avoid any delay to shipping on this account. Other external
lights will be fitted up in the grounds, so that a very great improvement will
have been effected.
LAUNCHES.
The launch "Denton" has been thoroughly overhauled in accordance with
the recommendation of your Consulting Engineer.
The boiler has been removed and re-tubed, the engines overhauled, and the
whole of the defects made good at a cost of 110l.
The launches have worked very satisfactorily during the year, the total number of inspections made in launches being 13,062, as follows:—
| "David Burnett" | 4,293 |
| "Clotho" | 4,394 |
| "Denton" | 4,375 |
| 13,062 |
"David Burnett."—On November 18th an opportunity presented itself
of testing the launch "David Burnett" over the measured nautical mile in the
Lower Hope. This launch was built in 1893, and has been in constant work
since, but was thoroughly overhauled in 1904; when she left the builders'
hands in 1893 she had a speed of ten knots per hour. The recent trial could
not be said to have taken place under the most favourable circumstances,
inasmuch as the boat had been running continuously for nearly two months,
the boiler was dirty, and on the bottom was an accumulation of weeds and