WHY LONDON IS HEALTHY

Evening Star, Issue 20167, 6 May 1929, Page 1

WHY LONDON IS HEALTHY

EFFECTS OF LOW BUILDINGS “London is so bracing.” This was tlm pronouncement of Sir Thomas Movison Logge to iho Loudon ‘ Star.' Sir Thomas, tlm w.-scnior inspector of facial io.s, recently gave (o iho Society of Arts a summary of his investigations mlo the health of factory girls, <nd pul in a. -pedal ward for the factory girls of ijio KasA End. “ Tin;-London fad ory girl,” lie said, “is a. really tine specimen of British womanhood. Not onlv has she the best teeth, but,physically she is in every way superior to girls of a similar class in other industrial towns.” ]I,, rhen gave the opinion piloted above. “ I .have always been struck by the sturdiness of London children, in spite of the fad, that so many of ihoru live in slum areas. I think iho reason is that London, icsidciuially, is largely a two-story dtv. “The fact that London grows horizontally and not vertically, means that it obtains much more air and sunlight, even allowing for the smoke pall of which wo hear so much.” lATEKAL EXTAXSIOX. “ The children always look well, and if we could clear the slum a rears and extend London still further into the Home Counties, i;s present low rate of infantile raortaliiy v ould be si ill further improved. “ \\'e certainly want more housing accommod.il ion. hut as comp-a red with northern town?, especially dlics like Newcastle and Glasgow, London is much healthier. In Glasgow, especially, where, the houses arc all. four stories high and the streets me monotonous, tlm general health is bound to suffer. ■‘Tn Lancashire the teeth of the operatives arc very bad, and it is (he' London girl’s perfect- teclh which so much strike the observer even at a glance. The teeth and her general physical aspect prove, .1 think, that London is one of the healthiest cities in the world.” In giving tins opinion, however, Sir Thomas made it dear that ■> e most not relax our efi'oits to overcome the the peril of the smoke pall and the overcrowded slum area.