The water supply to the rural districts of Essex. : Report presented to the county council, April 4th, 1905 / by John C. Thresh.

  • Thresh, John C.
Date:
1905
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The water supply to the rural districts of Essex. : Report presented to the county council, April 4th, 1905 / by John C. Thresh. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    \vith the Kural Districts.” The Committee approving the suggestion, I was asked to prepare such a report and, if possible, submit it to the Council at its next meeting on April 4th. This I undertook to do and the report is sub- mitted herewith. There is no doubt that the subject is an important one and one about which there is much misapprehension. Because a few localities find great difficulty in obtaining water, the opinion widely prevails that the whole county is very badly provided with water and that much discom- fort and disease is consequent thereon. This report will, I hope, dispel these illusions, for the county is probably as well supplied with water as any other in the kingdom, and typhoid fever and diarrhoea, the chief water borne diseases, are far less prevalent than in towns with public supplies. Moreover, in certain of the rural districts there are public supplies of a model character with water mains ramifying over wide areas. Another erroneous opinion worth referring to is that the county is flat and uninteresting. This impres- sion can only be formed by those whose sole knowledge of it is derived from observations made whilst on the Thames or on the sea. It is undoubtedly bounded on these two sides by extensive tracts of marshes or flat lands, but elsewffiere it is undulating, well wooded, and in places picturesque. Many of the elevations are capped with gravel, command extensive views, and are admirably adapted for private residences, sanatoria, convalescent homes, labour colonies, and for colonization by those who desire to enjoy the advantages of a country life. More- over, the county is exceedingly healthy. It is doubtful whether there is a healthier one within the three king- doms, and, as it is so near London, it is obvious that it possesses many advantages.