[Report 1904] / Medical Officer of Health, Chailey (Union) R.D.C.

  • Chailey (England). Rural District Council.
Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1904] / Medical Officer of Health, Chailey (Union) R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Gentlemen,—I am glad to be able to give a good report upon the sanitary work accomplished in your district during the year 1904. To begin with drainage: The comprehensive scheme granted for Ringmer has been nearly completed, and if in practice it is found to work as well as the other recent installations in the district, it, together with the extended water supply from Mr. Langham Christie’s reservoir, should go far to raise Ringmer from the very low position it has previously held from a sanitary point of view, for in nearly every annual report of the Medical Officer of Health since your district was formed, and in that of Dr. Myvart’s in 1899, Ringmer has been pointed out as requiring proper drainage. It is to be hoped that, when the sewers are in working order and the houses connected up with them, the owners will pay more attention to many of the dwellings themselves, especially in the Broyle-lane part of the parish, and if this is not done I fear it will be necessary to condemn several cottages as “ unfit for human habitation.” The extensive scheme for the re-drainage of Ditchling at a cost of £5,606, which has received the sanction of the Local Government Board, should be a great benefit to this locality, as the general fall is much better than that which is now available in part of the existing arrangements, and the proposed outfall I consider almost ideal. The extension of the sewer at the north end of Newtek village, which also received the sanction of the Local Government Board, will work in with an extended provision for the sewerage of the Rough and Western- road parts of the village, which I hope may some day be carried out, though I fear this cannot be accomphshed before a better water supply is provided there. Improvements have been made in the drainage arrangements of several private houses and cottages during the year, and in the case of new houses attention has been given to this important detail, under your building by-laws. Thirty new houses have received certificates for occupation, of which 19 are supplied with water from wells, 10 from waterworks and one from rain water tank. The weakest spots now remaining in your district, as far as public drainage is concerned, are, I think, the Asylum Corner, Wivelsfield (which I am glad to say is again having your attention), the west side of Barcombe village and the outfall of both sewers there, together with the row of cottages near the station at Cooks bridge. The water supply generally remains one of the most difficult problems in the district for solution, and during the coming year must, I fear, give rise to great anxiety, especially from the continued shortage of rainfall. Miss Heale has again kindly sent me her record for the rain fall in Newick during 1904, which is : Inches. January 4 72 February 3'46 March 1’34 April 0'94 May 2'78 June 1‘66 July 0‘99 August .... September October .... November. December. Total . Inches. .. 1-57 .. 1-80 ., 2-42 .. 1’45 .. 3‘28 ..26-30 Unfortunately, some parts of the district suffer from their geographical positions. First, those being in that geologically interesting, but, as far as water is concerned, most disappointing area known as ‘‘The Weald of Sussex,” where it would seem that the very subsoil lays claim to the alleged Sussex character, and the wells even ‘‘ wun’t be druve ” with any advantage ; second, portions of the district in proximity to the South Downs, where, although large volumes of water are situated in the chalk, the extensive pumpings at Brighton, Hove and Burgess Hill have so reduced the earth pressure that some surface streams which used to fiow northwards through the district from the “hill” springs have obviously lessened, and there is no doubt that the same thing has taken place in the underground streams which supply some of the wells already dug and will effect the prospect of new ones. Mr. Weller reports that the slaughter-houses have been kept in fairly good condition, and it is obvious that the chief gainer in having good premises must be the butcher himself, when the health of his family and employes and the “ keeping ” of his meat is considered, to say nothing of the question of public health. Mr. Weller also reports that there are 49 dairies registered in the district, and that better efforts have been made to keep these premises in good order by lime-washing, &c., but there are still many that are very far from perfect and several that require structural alterations. It is unfortunate, from a sanitary point of view, that the cow is an animal that can be housed in a very small space, and doubtless there is not half enough care taken, generally, with the cleansing of the cows’ udders and teats before milking. This is a difficult thing to do at the best of times, but when it has to be done in a crowded cowstall, and, I suppose, more often than not by the light of a lantern, the difficulty must be very great. Another fault existing in some places is the improper arrangement made for cooling the milk, which is generally done by allowing it to run over pipes, through which cold water is circulating. This should always be done in quite a separate building, so that the milk should not be exposed to the air of the cowstalls, or that from fermenting food stuffs, or, perhaps, from a pigsty or from pig wash tubs. It cannot be too well known how very complex and unstaple the character of milk is, and how carefully it should be treated at the times of milking, conveying and storing to keep it wholesome for human use. Where milk certified as of “fair average quality ” may contain certain growing micro-organisms to the number of 260-000 in one cubic centimetre (about 16 drops) at a temperature of 22 degrees centigrade, it can well be understood how rapid their growth may be when germs of certain diseases are introduced into such a congenial medium for them, as milk unfortunately is, and this is especially the case with the bacillus of typhoid fever. It is evident from recent legislature and discussions that, at no very distant date, the public voice will be demanding milk of much higher standards than are now, at times, allowed to pass in some parts of England. It is much to be hoped that all those who keep cows for the sale of their milk will make greater efforts to gradually improve the sanitary condition of their premises and animals, for