Report on the epidemic of enteric fever in 1893, in the borough of Worthing, in Broadwater, and in West Tarring / by Charles Kelly.

  • Kelly, Charles
Date:
1894
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the epidemic of enteric fever in 1893, in the borough of Worthing, in Broadwater, and in West Tarring / by Charles Kelly. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    At present our knowledge seems limited to the fact that just as ir. times of prevalence of diphtheria there are numerous instances of antecedent sore throats in the affected area, so with enteric fever there are antecedent cases of diarrhoea in the same area. THE FOUR AREAS. The areas affected by the epidemic will be best understood by reference to the coloured charts 1 and 2. There are here four distinct divisions, which should be carefully noted, as the variations in each division of the water supply* and sewer- age arrangements will serve to explain the behaviour of the outbreak and the extent of its incidence. No town could have been better plotted out so as to show more clearly the facts whence the cause may be made more evident. Worthing and West Worthing are to the south of the maps and they have the sea for their lower boundary. Immediately to the north are the parishes of Broadwater and West Tarring, places which are in direct and constant communication with the Borough of Worthing. They have some points in common with each other and with the Borough, but they belong to the East Preston Rural Sanitary District, and therefore they come under a different authority. Each of these two parishes retains in a marked degree the characteristics of rural or village life, yet in each there are areas on which are built houses of a suburban character, and fitted with arrangements for water supply and drainage such as one usually meets with in towns. It will be seen hereafter that the outbreak chiefly affected those places which had been more recently built, and which were furnished with modern sanitary appliances. Worthing and West Worthing were separate towns up to 1890, when they were united into the present Borough. Each of these towns has a separate water supply and sewerage system, and up to 1890 each was under a separate sanitary authority. An examination of chart 1 will show that the whole of Worthing area and a part of Broadwater are supplied from the Worthing water- works, while the rest of Broadwater is supplied from wells. The whole of West Worthing area and a part of West Tarring are supplied from the West Worthing waterworks, while the rest of West Tarring is supplied from wells. In Worthing and also in West Worthing there are a few wells still in use. An examination of chart 2 will show that the sewerage arrange- ments of the four areas differ much from those of the water supply. The whole of Worthing and a part of West Tarring have a main system of sewerage which has an outfall to the sea at the east of the town. The whole of West Worthing has a system of sewerage to itself, and the outfall is to the west of the town. In the parish of Broadwater there is no public system of sewerage md in this respect it is quite distinct from the other three areas.