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
Hackney 1943
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
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18
SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE AREA.
The following is a summary of the principal forms of inspection and of the action taken by the Sanitary Inspectors during the year:—
| Houses inspected on complaint | 5,280 |
| „ after infectious disease | 1,033 |
| Inspections of factories and workshops | 653 |
| „ „ bakehouses | 105 |
| „ „ dairies and milkshops | 1,030 |
| „ „ cowsheds | 19 |
| „ „ Meat Depot | 355 |
| „ „ butchers' shops and stores | 499 |
| „ „ other food premises | 1,880 |
| „ „ air raid shelters | 725 |
| Drains and sanitary fittings examined | 3,386 |
| „ repaired | 759 |
| „ relaid | 29 |
| Premises in which defects were found all forms | 4,593 |
| „ „ „ abated of | 3,972 |
| Total number of re-inspections inspection | 24,281 |
| Intimation notices served | 3,802 |
| Statutory notices served | 1,155 |
| Summonses issued for housing defects | 42 |
Rats and Mice.—The problem of premises infested by rats and
mice continued to receive close attention. There was an increase
in the number of complaints by occupiers that their premises were
infested and this increase resulted from the Press publicity campaign
of the Ministry of Food, in connection with which the Department
arranged for complaints to be received at Air Raid Wardens' Posts.
In December 1943 and again in January 1944, poison baits
were laid in the sewers and from the "take'' it was calculated that
5,850 rats were destroyed.
The work of sealing off from sewers the drain outlets of houses
demolished by enemy action and of sealing the drains and sanitary
fittings in unoccupied- war-damaged premises was continued as a
means of preventing the escape of rats from sewers.