London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Bethnal Green 1885

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bethnal Green]

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5
4th.—A Clerk should be appointed to attend at the Office all day,
who should keep the books, make out notices, receive complaints, and
perform such other duties as may be required.
5th.—The three District Inspectors and the Clerk should be placed
under tho orders of your Medical Officer of Health; to perform such
duties as he may direct, and report to him daily.
Your Medical Officer would thus be head of his department and
solely responsible to the Sanitary Committee for the condition of the
Parish, and for the manner in which the Inspectors perform their
duties.
If some such system as this were adopted, an enormous amount of
work could be got through. Each Inspector would have his day's
duties laid down for him, and would not be liable to bo called away,
and would not be required, as now, to spend half his time in making
out and copying notices.
No action was taken upon this report, and things drifted on in
the old way till the resignation of Mr. W. W. Burrows brought the
matter prominently forward, and the subject was referred to the
Sanitary Committee for consideration and report.
It has become year by year more obvious that Nuisance Inspectors
should be regularly trained for their duties, and should give
evidence of fitness for the position by the possession of a certificate
of proficiency conferred after examination by some public body,
such as the Sanitary Institute of Great Britain. I understand
Mr. J. Lapworth was the first Metropolitan Inspeotor of Nuisances
who obtained this certificate. Had Mr. W. W. Burrows retained
his appointment, I am informed he also intended to present
himself for examination. Many members of the Committee felt
strongly upon this point, and determined to support only candidates
holding certificates of this nature.
The constitution of the Sanitary Staff was discussed at several
meetings of the Committee, and it was considered that as the
duties of the Inspectors had been recently modified by the
appointment of a Disinfecting Engineer and two assistants, who in
their spare time act as Dust Inspectors, a staff of two Nuisance
Inspectors and a Sanitary Clerk would suffice for the needs of the
Parish. I cannot say that I concur in this opinion, for there is