Would you have qualified as a Sanitary Inspector in 1927?

Test yourself!* Thanks to a kind donation, our members can now view the examination papers for Sanitary Inspectors held in Nottingham over three days in October 1927.

Over 14 questions, these papers provide a unique snapshot into the similarities and differences between the environmental health profession today and 99 years ago.

I feel that, with a bit of revision, most of EHOs/EHPs today would be reasonably comfortable with Question 9:

The walls of a dwelling are damp above ground level. To what causes may this dampness be due? What remedies would you advise?

Question 14 might be a bit more challenging though:

Draw out a form of Report Book for entering the results of inspections of Cowsheds.

And Question 10 raises some wider public health issues which are perhaps mainly of passing interest today:

Give the relative advantages and disadvantages of mechanical and horse transport for the collection of house refuse.

The papers can be viewed inside our digital archive, among an array of resources documenting the history of environmental health:

• Sanitary Inspector Exam 1927: 1st paper
• Sanitary Inspector Exam 1927: 2nd paper

If you’re wondering about what sort of roles qualified inspectors may have been seeking in the mid-20th Century, you are also in luck. Alongside the two exam papers, we also have access to a job advert for a Shops and Sanitary Inspector post at Rhondda Urban District Council.

The provenance of this donation is also interesting. Thanks to Chartered Fellow Paul Mee, the current Chief Executive of Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, we know that:

“They belonged to former Sanitary Inspector Harry Price, who lived in Ferndale in the Rhondda Fach and worked for the former Rhondda Urban District Council. I bumped into him in Ferndale more than 30 years ago and we had a conversation about his former job. At that time he was long retired. He was a lovely chap, I gave him my details and thought no more about it.

"A few years later, I had a call from his son, who had found my business card. Harry had passed away and when clearing his house they found a few old textbooks which he offered me. I found these papers and the advert in amongst the pages of the books, which I still have.”

These documents provide fascinating insights into the profession over the last century and are a great addition to our growing digital archive for members.

Any members, or relatives of our members, are welcome to contact us if you find items which may be worth including in the digital archive.

With thanks to David Dier, Paul Mee and CIEH President Mark Elliott.

*Just for fun! Don’t send completed entries to CIEH as we don’t have the marking scheme.