[Report 1875] / Medical Officer of Health, Berkshire Combined Sanitary District.

  • Berkshire Combined Sanitary District.
Date:
1875
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Report 1875] / Medical Officer of Health, Berkshire Combined Sanitary District. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    to the village school, the mistress not being told that the child had been ill; but as the grandmother (with whom she was staying) seemed to be ignorant that there was any risk of spreading the disease at this stage, it was not thought advisable to take proceedings against her. This school w^as closed for several weeks, and thoroughly cleansed and disinfected, nor was it reopened as long as the disease remained in the village. At Winterbourne the disease also spread through the medium of the school, which was accordingly closed for nearly a month. It was found to be a matter of the greatest difficulty to get the persons in charge of the sick to take proper precautions either as to isolation or disinfection. Had it been practicable to ensure that these were carried out constantly and thoroughly, the duration of the outbreak would have been very greatly shortened: but the care and attention of the inspector, acting under my instructions, doubtless contributed materially to check its spread, both in and beyond the localities where it was present when its existence first became known to the sanitary officers. In this district, as elsewhere throughout the country, the want of early information as to the presence of infectious disease in any locality is, however, the most serious obstacle to e^ffective dealing with any outbreak, and it is too seldom that any but pauper cases (which are a minority of the whole) come to the knowledge of the health officer or inspector until a death is registered from the disease, a return of which is sent to me by the Registrar at once. NEWBURY URBAN SANITARY DISTRICT. Inspector of Nuisances, Mr. Benjamin Sergeant. The total number of premises inspected in this district during the year (as returned by the Inspector of Nuisances, Table 13) was 410, in which 130 nuisances were reported. Nearly all of these have been to some extent abated; about one half related