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
Bethnal Green 1882
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bethnal Green]
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VESTRY OF ST. PANCRAS.
Return of replies received from the various Local Authorities of the Metropolis in answer to the letter and report of this Vestry on the necessity for an amendment of the law relating to the inspection and regulation of bakehouses.
| Name of Local Authority. | Opinions expressed. |
|---|---|
| Chelsea | That the inspection under the Factory and Workshops' Act is not of an efficient kind. That the bakehouses in this parish have been rarely visited by Government inspectors since the passing of that Act. In several cases the occupier could not recall any official visit. There are 62 bakehouses here, of which 27 were found in an unsatisfactory condition on inspection, being generally in a dirty, and sometimes filthy, state. There were cases of defective water supply and defective drains, bad ventilation, and in two cases dirty W.C.'s. |
| St. George, Hanover Square | That the inspection should be under the direction of the sanitary authority. In nearly every bakehouse visited the owner stated that no inspection at all had been made by the Government inspector since the repeal of the Bakehouses' Regulation Act in 1878. The bakehouses here are, however, in a fairly satisfactory state, except in a few cases, where the necessary cleaning, &c., has been attended to. |
Thos. Eccleston Gibb,
Vestry Clerk.
COWSHEDS.
There are 39 cowsheds in the parish : these have all been kept
Under careful observation, and many of them have been visited by the
Sanitary Committee.
I am happy to report that, in most instances, the sheds have been
maintained in a fairly satisfactory condition.
If not constantly attended to, the paving- and drainage arrangements
rapidly deteriorate. At my last visit I found the paving defective in
twenty-two instances, and either the drainage arrangements or the
traps were defective in six ; nine were in a dirty condition, and
required lime-washing.
Most of these defects were remedied under notices, but at the annual
Licensing Sessions it was necessary to oppose renewals to the following
licensees, the paving and drainage of whose sheds was defective :
Lockyer, Minerva street. I Bunn, Lisbon street.
Wisby, Brady street. I Boakes, Columbia road.
Mason, Hassard street.
In this last case, in addition to other defects, the water supply to
the mangers was a temporary and unsatisfactory arrangement.
By the date of the adj ournment all the sheds, with one exception,
had been satisfactorily repaired, so our opposition was withdrawn.
Mr. Boakes, however, had not completed his, and his licence was
impounded.
The following is a complete list of the cowsheds in the parish.
Seven were empty, and the remainder contained 361 cows, against
422 last year.