Sanitary Inspector

[Jean999]

I was slightly surprised when I read the article on poisonous food in the latest newsletter, that Peter did not mention the appointment of Sanitary Inspectors in Victorian England. They were the original Public Health Inspectors.

I became aware of this occupation whilst investigating the family tree of a colleague. The occupation looked interesting and warranted further investigation.

 

[peter]

If you want to know more about the role of the sanitary inspector see this open access paper. It's a very different topic, which is why I didn't mention it - the aim of the article was to direct readers to a useful website about the changing law on food standards.

 

[Bryman]

I was slightly surprised when I read the article on poisonous food in the latest newsletter, that Peter did not mention the appointment of Sanitary Inspectors in Victorian England. They were the original Public Health Inspectors.

I became aware of this occupation whilst investigating the family tree of a colleague. The occupation looked interesting and warranted further investigation.

My father started his working life as a Sanitary Inspector and then had the title changed to Public Health Inspector. I believe that the job title later became updated to Environmental Health Officer. He ended up as department chief for one of the South London boroughs. He managed a team of inspectors whose duties included contact tracing when infectious diseases were identified in that borough. Such activities were much harder when I was a child compared to now due to the lack of modern technology.

 

[Jean999]

If you want to know more about the role of the sanitary inspector see this open access paper. It's a very different topic, which is why I didn't mention it - the aim of the article was to direct readers to a useful website about the changing law on food standards.

I understood that the EARLY sanitary inspectors were VERY concerned with ensuring that food was what it was meant to be. Milk was frequently diluted with water, flour diluted with chalk or more poisonous chemicals. They bought from traders and sent the food samples to labs for testing. The role may well have changed by the early 20th century.

 

[Jean999]

Sorry, I had forgotten that the original occupation was described as Inspector of Nuisances.

https://wellcomecollection.org/articles/XOaYQhYAAPs43bZ4

The above link may be of interest.

 

[peter]

Wikipedia has this useful description:

"An Inspector of Nuisances was the title of an office in several English-speaking jurisdictions. In many jurisdictions this term is now archaic, the position and/or term having been replaced by others. In medieval England it was an office of the Courts Leet and later it was also a parochial office concerned with local action against a wide range of 'nuisances' under the common law: obstructions of the highway, polluted wells, adulterated food, smoke, noise, smelly accumulations, eavesdropping, peeping toms, lewd behaviour, and many others. In the United Kingdom from the mid- 19th century this office became associated with solving public health and sanitation problems, with other types of nuisances being dealt with by the local constables."