Dr. J. Spencer Low's report to the Local Government Board on the sanitary circumstances and administration of the Patrington Rural District : with special reference to the prevalence of diphtheria therein.

  • Low, J. Spencer.
Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Dr. J. Spencer Low's report to the Local Government Board on the sanitary circumstances and administration of the Patrington Rural District : with special reference to the prevalence of diphtheria therein. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    been appointed, another medical practitioner who had not applied for the post being elected in his stead. This practitioner however refused to accept office, and at the next meeting of the council Dr. Coates was re-instated. The council were unable to allege any neglect of duty against their medical officer of health whose only offence appears to have been that, in their eyes, he had been too persistent in reporting annually the sanitary shortcomings of the district; he appears also to have been improperly blamed because the Board had sent to the district a medical inspector to whom Dr. Coates gave the necessary assistance which it was his duty to render. The inspector of nuisances, Mr. T. G. Hart, receives an annual salary of £50, half this amount being paid from county council funds and he receives £2 2s. a year as sanitary surveyor ; Mr. Hart conducts also the business of an auctioneer. He does not possess the certificate of the Royal Sanitary Institute or similar body. Mr. Hart tendered his resignation to the council during the course of my inspection, but I learn that it has since been withdrawn. The district council will do well to appoint as their inspector of nuisances a man holding the certificate of the Royal Sanitary Institute or similar body, or one who is qualified by previous experience of the duties, to devote his whole time to this work, especially in view of the very large amount of additional inspection which has in future to be carried out in accordance with the regulations framed by the Local Government Board under the Housing and Town Planning Act, 1909. I cannot recommend continuance of existing arrangements under present conditions. Nuisances are rife in all parts of the district, and the duty of inspection of nuisances has not hitherto been adequately performed. The inspector of nuisances should act in conjunction with, and under the instructions of, the medical officer of health ; these two officers should confer frequently on the work of inspection and on other matters; in the past this co-operation has been lacking. The council undertook in June, 1910, that this should be done, but in September I found that no attempt had been made to carry it out systematically. These two officers correspond with one another at irregular intervals.* Conclusions.—The sanitary administration of the Patrington Rural District Council has been characterised by one main prin- ciple—an objection to spend money for sanitary purposes. Improvement in the water supply will probably require co- operation with several adjacent local authorities. The council should, however, take steps to remedy the defects in the sewerage systems of Patrington and Keyingham noted in this report. I found that the instructions of the council referred to in their letter to the Board, dated June 14th, 1910, that the inspector of nuisances was to confer with the medical officer of health once a week to discuss matters which arise in the course of his duties, and to settle his routine work of inspection for the following week, were not being observed.