This volume collects a series of reports prepared by John Simon, the Medical Officer of Health for the City of London from 1850-1886. Simon's reports provide a vivid portrait of the appalling living conditions facing many of London's inhabitants during the era of rapid urbanization, and document some of the earliest efforts to address the problem of public health in a modern city. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.