[Report 1904] / Medical Officer of Health, St Albans Urban Sanitary District.

  • St. Albans (England). Urban Sanitary District.
Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1904] / Medical Officer of Health, St Albans Urban Sanitary District. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    On its arrival at the Sewage Farm, the sewage is re¬ ceived into an open Septic Tank, where the micro¬ organisms present in it increase and multiply, and by their agency a great deal of the solid matter is rendered soluble and is dissolved. Thence it is conducted succes¬ sively through two sets of Bacteria beds, one set contain¬ ing gravel comparatively coarse and the other set filled with fine gravel. In these beds by bacterial agency the organic matter and ammonia which the sewage contains is oxidised, and the resulting effluent is tolerably pure. Nevertheless it is conducted over the surface of the land and filtered through the soil before it is allowed to leave the Farm, so that we have really a very pure effluent. All offensive smell has been reduced to a minimum. Ashes and Refuse. A daily collection of ashes and refuse is now made in some of the central parts of the town. A daily collec¬ tion should however be made in all the business quarters, as well as more particularly in the poorer neighbourhoods such as Sopwrell Lane, Watson’s Row, etc., where the accommodation for storing the refuse is often very limited. And I consider that ashes and refuse should be collected from every house within the City at least twice a week. During the past year I have had complaints that in some cases an interval of two or three weeks claused between the visits of the dust-carts. This certainly ought not to be, as the fermentation and puti ification of organic matter in the neighbourhood of houses is a fruitful source of disease. And dust-carts with fixed covers ought to be provided, in order as far as possible to prevent the diffusion through the air of organic matter, which might possibly contain infection. In connection with this subject I think you ought soon to consider the question whether it be not desirable at no distant date to erect a. Destructor, as has been done in some neighbouring towns. We possess a suit¬ able site in the neighbourhood of the Sisters’ Hospital. This is at any rate a matter for serious consideration. Gommfti Lodging Houses. I have visited all the Common Lodging Houses within the City, and have found them to be all fairly clean and well kept. From the information I have received they do not appear to be overcrowded. In two instances the usual cards containing the cubic space and number of persons allowed to sleep in each room were not affixed