[Report 1894] / Medical Officer of Health, Ashton-in-Makerfield U.D.C.

  • Ashton-in-Makerfield (England). Urban District Council. n 78087965.
Date:
1894
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Report 1894] / Medical Officer of Health, Ashton-in-Makerfield U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The incidence of Fever may be shortly outlined as follows:—January. —One case—Sim’s Lane Ends—where an open ashpit existed, and within very short range of Eaton Cottages, where too often is observed choked gullies and a filthy dirty condition of the yardage. Heath Road—a case —defective drainage. One at Lilly Lane—in a young man who bad been working in the sewer. February.-—Case in Heath Road, where it had occurred in ’93. One, Golborne Road—open ashpit. One, Downall Green Road, Far Cross, not far from where sewage had been lying stagnant in dyke before new sewer was laid. Another in Whithill Street (No. 2) opposite side Far Cross—One at Barracks, Downall Green—insanitary conditions all around. March.— Another case—Whithill Street (No. 50). At end of March and early April, a multiple case (3) occurred in house at Smithy Brow, due without doubt to entrance of sewer gas. Case in Dawber Street, Stubshaw Cross. Then in May—a case at 70, Long Lane, in the same block as Typhus occurred, iu a dirty filthy house, enough in itself to generate either Typhus or Typhoid. Three more cases in Heath Road, two houses (one, 2 members of same family ill), and a fourth in Bolton Road. June.—Case in Barber’s Square, off Heath Road. One in Wigan Road, north side Far Cross, and a third at Barracks, Downall Green ; a fourth in Nichol Lane July.— Another, south side Far Cross, in an old ill-arranged cottage, with unclean area around ; and a second case in Gerard Street. August finds us with another in North Street, with suspicious illness of a second member of l the family. One, although in a new clean house, Greenhalgh Brow, iu the immediate vicinity of Barracks, Downall Green. September.—One at old property at Whitledge Green, and one in Brynn Road, just east of Far Cross. November.—One at Pewfall Lower Lane. December.—One behind Rose Cottage, Wigan Road— the case which proved fatal iu Hospital. So that we have three places, as in 1892 and 1893, where a large per- centage of the cases occurred—Bolton Bond, Heath Hoad, and Far Cross. In 1892, 81 per cent, of the cases occurred at those places, of which 59 per cent, were atfirst, 6 per cent, second, 19 per cent, third-, in 1893, 82 per cent, at the three, of which 54 per cent, were to first, 6 per cent, second, 22 per cent, third: while in 1894 we find 63 per cent, to the three, 166 to first, 20 per cent, second, and 26'6 to third. In addition we have 10 per cent, at Downall Green—10 per cent, represented by the multiple cases at Smithy Brow, and 16 6 per cent, made up by the odd cases. 1 to 5. 5 to 15. 15 to 25. 25 to 60. 60 upwards. Total. 1892 ... 3 . .. 15 . .. 12 .. . 13 . — ... 43 1893 ... 1 . .. 5 . ... 10 .. . 11 . — ... 27 1894 ... 1 . 11 ... 11 .. 7 . — ... 30 Continued Fever—all young. Milk supply or water did not display any part, and there can be no doubt that similar causes as mentioned last year have continued to exert their influence upon the people. I have carefully gone through the Nuisance Inspector’s work—a summary of his report being appended—and find that the very large bulk of the nuisances, consisting of defective drainage, stopped drains, choked gullies, foul ashpits, foul privies,* overcrowding and the like—all nuisances associated wilh cause of disease to the tune of something like 160—and, on further examina- tion, month by month, find that the localities bear a striking connection with the notification of infectious sickness. Scarlet Fever of a comparatively very mild form caused 3 deaths, or equal to 7'3 percent, of those attacked— one of which was in a child, for some time invalided with valvular disease of the heart. In January a case was noted at Fish Row, opposite Rosehill; simultaneously 2 cases (multiple) in Long Lane through visiting an infected house—followed by another in Nichol Lane—while later, a third in this neighbourhood, Toothill Street, in September. In February we found it also at Far Cross (2 cases) and also at Heath Lane (removed to Hospital). In March, at Garswood Station Road, a case (removed to Hospital), and in which lane another occurred in June—a third at Sim’s Lane Ends in October. In March, May and June, four cases, all near Far Cross, of which 3 were removed. During the months of July, August, September, and October, six cases occurred on Rosehill (one removed). Three cases in Stubshaw Cross district in June, July and August, and two cases, multiple, (removed to Hospital) imported from Earlestown into this area in November. A group of 4 cases, multiple, at Pewfall in October, and said to have been caught at School iu Haydock. December saw a group of 4 cases, multiple, removed out of the Town into Hospital, and another group of 3 multiple of cases occurring at Skitter’s Grove, the year closing with an isolated case at Brynn Gate, removed to Hospital. Milk supply as to spread was negatived, and although on enquiry as to causes parents seemed to think it had been caught at school, one is iuclined very much to accept this with great caution, since if it were so, we should have had a much larger distribution. Indiscriminate and unthoughtful visiting would seem to play a more important part in its dissemination.