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Report of the Medical Officer of Health. 37
All house-to-house inspections under the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891, are carried out as if these were inspections
under Section 17 of the Housing, Town Planning-, etc., Act, 1909,
and the results recorded on a special card which was drawn up
in 1910, and has been in use since that date. This method has
been found to work most satisfactorily. Where nuisances are
found notices are served under the Public Health Act, and if the
premises are reported by the Sanitary Inspector to be in a bad
condition, I make a personal inspection in order to determine
if the houses are in such a condition as to be unfit for human
habitation. During the year 2,691 house-to-house inspections
were made by the Sanitary Inspectors, and in 2,332, nuisances
were found necessitating the service of sanitary notices.
Of the 62 premises reported in 1919 as unfit for human
habitation, two have been closed, and five have been rendered
fit for habitation and the closing orders determined.
The total number of houses where the drains were reconstructed
during the year was 130; 36 in Clapham, 21 in Putney,
26 in Streatham, five in Tooting, and 42 in Wandsworth.
During the year 4,015 drains of houses were tested by the
Sanitary Inspectors, 1,207 in Clapham, 331 in Putney, 906 in
Streatham, 245 in Tooting, and 1,316 in Wandsworth, and 378
or 9.4 per cent. were found to be defective. Of the 378 found
defective, 115 were in Clapham, 12 in Putney, 101 in Streatham,
74 in Tooting, and 76 in Wandsworth.
A large amount of work has again been carried out to abate
nuisances arising from damp conditions. In all, 1,473 premises
have been dealt with, 280 in Clapham, 54 in Putney, 429 in
Streatham, 100 in Tooting, and 610 in Wandsworth; and in 260
of these, 68 in Clapham, 22 in V tney, 69 in Streatham, eight
in Tooting, and 93 in Wandsworth, damp courses have been
inserted.