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
Walthamstow 1920
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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59
House-to-House Inspection.—No inspecting officer has yet
been appointed for carrying out Section 17 (1) of the Housing and
Town Planning Act.
During the year the time of the Sanitary Inspectors was pretty well
consumed in dealing with the complaints received from householders
and in effecting necessary sanitary repairs to property neglected during
the immediate preceding years, and only a small amount of house-tohouse
inspection was possible.
The following statement is in accordance with Article 5 of the Housing (Inspection of District) Regulations, 1910:—
| 1. Number of houses inspected | 415 |
| 2. Number of houses unfit for habitation | — |
| 3. Number of representations made to Local Authority (Section 28, 1919) | 31 |
| 4. Number of Closing Orders made | — |
| 5. Number of ho uses, defects in which were remedied without Closing Orders | 385 |
| 6. General character of the defects found to exist in the dwelling houses inspected | Drainage Uncleanliness Dampness Deposit of Refuse e.g., want of receptacle |
The conditions found were as follows:—
| Conditions Regarding. | Good. | Fair. | Bad. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Arrangements for preventing the contamination of the water supply | 405 | 9 | 1 |
| 2. | Closet accommodation | 401 | 11 | 3 |
| 3. | Drainage | 392 | 23 | — |
| 4. | Condition of house in regard to light, free circulation of air, dampness and cleanliness | 146 | 251 | 8 |
| 5. | Paving, draining and sanitary condition of yard and outhouse | 240 | 173 | 2 |
| 6. | Arrangement for deposit of refuse and ashes | 308 | 107 | - |
| 7. | Any room so dangerous or injurious to health as to be unfit for human habitation | None. | ||
| 8. | Any other defects which may tend to render house dangerous and injurious to health of any inhabitant | None. | ||
The conditions referred to under the heading "bad" will be seen to
refer to (1) defects in drainage which necessitated reconstruction or