How the Poor Live; and, Horrible London: 1889Sims, George R. (George Robert)
History
How the Poor Live; and, Horrible London: 1889
Sims, George R. (George Robert)
Poor -- England -- London -- History -- 19th century; Public housing -- England -- London
'A coroner's inquiry was held last night by Mr. Langham regarding the
death of an infant aged two and a half months, the daughter of a butcher
named Kent, who, with his wife and three children, occupy a single room
on the third floor of premises used as a marine store in Wych Street.
The inquiry was held in the Vestry-room of the parish. On the return of
the jury from viewing the body--which lay in the room occupied by the
family--one of the jurymen addressed the coroner. He had, he stated,
during his thirty years' residence in the parish, seen many places which
he regarded as unfit for dwelling-houses, but never had he seen one so
bad as that which the jury had just visited. The staircase was dark and
out of repair. The atmosphere inside was intolerable. Indeed, it was
so bad that several of his fellow-jurymen had felt ill while they were
there. They hoped that this expression of opinion would have some
effect in inducing the proper authorities to provide a mortuary for the
district, and that families who lived in one room might not be compelled
to sleep and take their meals with a dead body within sight. Mr. Samuel
Mills, surgeon, 3, Southampton Street, Strand, medical officer to the
Bow Street Division of Police, deposed that he had made a post-mortem
examination of the body on a propped-up table placed in front of the
window of the room occupied by the family. The cause of death was
consumption of the brain. From the state of the atmosphere in which the
child was born, it was unhealthy. Another child had died from the same
cause. He thought the local authority ought to provide a mortuary, and
also a room in which post-mortem examinations could be conducted. A
verdict in accordance with the medical evidence was returned by the
jury, who further expressed their opinion that the want of a mortuary
was calculated to be detrimental to the health of the persons living in
the district; that there being no mortuary was a disgrace to the local
authority; and that the circumstances surrounding the case they had
investigated were a disgrace to this enlightened age.'
I will not add a word. I leave the newspaper report to arouse whatever
thoughts it may in the minds of those who will peruse it. It is at least
a revelation to many of 'How the Poor Live.'
Let me hark back again to the lighter side of my subject. I began the
chapter with a story of the self-sacrifice of the poor. I will now
end it with a little incident of which I was an eye-witness. Some poor
children of the slums had 'a day in the country' given them by a friend,
at which I had the privilege of being present.
At tea, to every little one there were given two large slices of cake;
I noticed one little boy take his, break a little piece off, eat it, and
quietly secrete the remainder in his jacket pocket. Curious, and half
suspecting what his intention was, I followed the lad when tea was over
to the fields.
'Eaten your cake yet?' I asked.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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