Dr. Blaxall's report upon the long continued prevalence of diphtheria in the urban sanitary district of Taunton, and on the sanitary condition of the town / [F.H. Blaxall].

  • Blaxall, F. H.
Date:
[1883]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. Blaxall's report upon the long continued prevalence of diphtheria in the urban sanitary district of Taunton, and on the sanitary condition of the town / [F.H. Blaxall]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Dr. Blaxall’s Report upon the long continued prevalence of Diph¬ theria in the Urban Sanitary District of Taunton, and on the sanitary condition of the Town. R. Thorne Thorne, Assistant Medical Officer, September 6th, 1883. The Registrar-General’s death returns for the three first quarters of 1882 showing Preliminary, notable mortality from diphtheria at Taunton, and the Medical Officer of Health, in reply to a communication from the Board, reporting persistent prevalence of the disease, I was instructed to visit Taunton and make inquiry into the particulars connected there¬ with. The several medical practitioners in Taunton gave me lists of the cases that had come ^ under their treatment, and I am especially indebted to Mr. W. Liddon for his observa¬ tions respecting the sanitary condition of the dwellings of upwards of one hundred patients who had consulted him, and the manner in which the disease in some of these cases was contracted. General Sanitary circumstances. Taunton is a parliamentary and municipal borough, situated in the valley of the River Tone, which flows through the town, dividing it unequally; the greater portion being on the south side of the river. In the neighbourhood of the Tone the town lies flat, standing on the alluvial deposit, but it rises towards the south, where it rests upon the new red sandstone formation. Many streets have sprung up within recent years, especially in North Town, and building operations are going on actively. Taunton forms the centre of an important agricultural district; it possesses good corn and cattle markets, which are largely attended. Besides the usual town industries, some collar and silk factories give employment to a number of females. The population is increasing. In 1871 it was enumerated at 15,466, and in 1881 at 16,611 persons. The Public Health Act was administered by a local board till 1877, when the town was formed into a corporate borough, and the Town Council became the Urban Sanitary Authority. The Urban and Rural Sanitary Authorities have appointed Dr. Alford Medical Officer of Health for each of their districts. Mr. Strawbridge holds the appointment of Inspector of Nuisances for the Urban District. Both these officers are in part paid by moneys voted by Parliament. The water supply is derived partly from springs that issue on the Blagdon Hills and partly from local wells. The water of the springs is collected in a reservoir capable of holding about 850,000 gallons, situated at Fullwood near the source. The waterworks were in the hands of a company till 1877, when they were purchased by the Authority. At that time the distribution was limited to about 1,330 houses, but the Authority have since obtained an increased supply by tunnelling and shafting in various directions, so that now some 2,800 or 3,000 houses are supplied with this water; the distribution being effected by galvanized iron pipes. The supply, however, is still very insufficient for the require¬ ments of the town, obliging the delivery to be on the intermittent system, while from 800 to 1,000 houses are still dependent on wells. The water being shut off daily for several hours together occasions much incon¬ venience, especially to poor families who have no means of storage, and are therefore obliged at such times to have recourse to wells. I received numerous complaints of the water being delivered thick and discoloured. Filtering beds, I understand, are in process of construction, these will probably improve the character of the water, unless, indeed, the discoloration complained of be due to the corroded state of the pipes. Works also continue to be carried on to secure a further increase of the supply. As to the wells, these vary in depth, being from 20 to 30 feet deep in the red sand¬ stone and from 10 to 15 feet in the alluvium. Their gathering ground is polluted by soakage from refuse and manure heaps, imperfect drains, &c., while certain of the R 7851. 150.—9/83. Wt. 5492. E. St S. Topography and geology. Building. Industries. Population. Sanitary Authority. Water supply.