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
St Giles (Camden) 1899
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Giles District]
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68
Underground Lavatories.
The number of underground lavatories belonging to the Board remain as last year, three in number. They continue to be very largely used, and every day shows more and more the convenience afforded to the public by their provision. In July, 1898, your Engineer had a tally taken of the persons using them, and the figures were given in his Report of last year. They were as follows :—
| Men's Lavatories. | Total number using convenience in one week. | Number using water closets. | Number using urinals. | Average per day of total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaftesbury Avenue | 10,804 | 1,399 | 9,405 | 1,543 |
| New Oxford Street | 31,539 | 3,441 | 28,098 | 4,505 |
| High Holborn | 14,317 | 1,620 | 12,697 | 2,045 |
| Women's Lavatories. | Total number using convenience in one week. | Number using water closets. | Number using lavatory basins. | Average per day of Total. |
| Shaftesbury Avenue | 476 | 465 | 11 | 66 |
| New Oxford Street | 2,498 | 2,328 | 170 | 357 |
| High Holborn | 618 | 576 | 42 | 88 |
No examination has been made since then, but from the
takings it is proved that in the case of the men's lavatories
8,824 more persons used the w.c.'s and lavatory basins
in 1899 than in the previous year, and 5,245 more persons
used the women's w.c.'s and lavatory. The figures do not
include the number of men using the urinals only.
The quantity of water used during the year was
5,761,000 gallons.