Authorities has increased considerably, both in
London and the Provinces. The exact number outside London is only
known approximately, as no register exists which is available to the
public. It is to be hoped that this information may be obtainable
from the last census returns. The figures with regard to London are
published annually by the London County Council, and there are now
forty-one Women Sanitary Inspectors in the Metropolitan area.

Sanitary inspectors in London, whether men or women, are required to
hold the certificate of the Sanitary Inspectors' Examination Board,
the examination for which is the same for men and women.[1] Outside
London no definite qualification is required by the Local Government
Board, but it is usual in county and municipal boroughs for a sanitary
certificate to be demanded from candidates for the position of
Inspector of Nuisances (the term used outside London for Sanitary
Officials). Men and Women Sanitary Inspectors possess equal rights of
entry to premises and equal statutory powers for enforcing compliance
with the law.

The duties of Women Sanitary Inspectors have become very varied and
numerous during the past ten years; they differ considerably according
to locality and to the opinions of the local Medical Officer of
Health. Broadly speaking, before 1905 women in London were mainly
engaged in the inspection of workshops, whereas in the Provinces (with
the exception of Nottingham, Leicester, and Manchester) they were
engaged in house-to-house visitation in the poorer parts of the towns,
with a view to the promotion of cleanliness, giving advice to mothers
concerning the feeding and care of infants and young children, and
the detection of sanitary defects. The inspection of workshops in the
Provinces was a later development.

These varied duties have called for special qualifications, and, in
addition to certificates in sanitation, Women Sanitary Inspectors
usually hold qualifications in nursing or midwifery. The general
education of the women who take up this profession is, on the whole,
superior to that of the men. Most of the women have had a high school
education, and many are University graduates, while the men, as a
rule, come from the elementary schools.

The duties of a Woman Sanitary Inspector are sufficiently varied to
avoid monotony, and may comprise any or all of the following:--

_A_. (1) The inspection of factories in order to
see that suitabl