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

West Ham 1893

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]

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Table: Food Inspection.—During the year 153 samples were submitted to the Public Analyst under the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts and the Margarine Act. Of these 31, or 20 per cent., were returned as adulterated as follows:—

Food Inspection.—During the year 153 samples were submitted to the Public Analyst under the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts and the Margarine Act. Of these 31, or 20 per cent., were returned as adulterated as follows:—

Articles submitted.Number submittedNumber adulterated.
Milk5618
Spirits41
Mustard112
Butter276
Liquorice20
Condensed Milk22
Coffeel61
Lard161
Pepper110
Chicory60
Tea10
Cayenne Pepper10

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The results of prosecution in the above cases will be found in the table on pages 45, 46 and 47.
General Sanitary Work.—In the early part of the year the Public Health Department was
reinforced by the appointment of four additional Assistant Inspectors of Nuisances, thereby enabling a much
larger amount of sanitary work to be done during the year, and this in much greater proportion than the
ratio of increase in staff, as may be gathered from this and my previous reports.

Table: Details of the nuisances remedied will be found on p. 43, but it may here be mentioned that among other of their duties the Inspectors have carried out the following:—

Details of the nuisances remedied will be found on p. 43, but it may here be mentioned that among other of their duties the Inspectors have carried out the following:—

Number of House-to-house Inspections4,840
Do. Inspections re Infectious Disease3>422
Do. Re-inspections9,680
Do. Inspections of Slaughter-houses549
Do. do. Bakehouses33°
Do. do. Common Lodging-houses246
Do. do. Factories259
Do. Miscellaneous Inspections1,210
Total20,536

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Gipsy Squatters.—These were a source of constant trouble to the department during the year,
and the cause of frequent complaints from burgesses and others. During the greater part of the year the
Sanitary Inspectors continued to put in force the method of warning the gipsies off the plots of land on which
they were located, and, failing compliance, forcibly removing their vans and tents with a trace-horse into
the public roadway, where they came under the notice of the police, and were " moved on." At the end