Dr Hugh A. Macewen's report to the Local Government Board on an outbreak of enteric fever in Ringwood, 1912.

  • Macewen, Hugh A.
Date:
1912
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Dr Hugh A. Macewen's report to the Local Government Board on an outbreak of enteric fever in Ringwood, 1912. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    small country town. Tlie surrounding district is entirely rural in character, comprising stretches of moorland interspersed with belts of coniferous trees. Water Supply.—The town of Ringwood, as already stated, obtains its water supply from shallow wells; a few houses make use of water from Cockstone Stream, a fact which will be alluded to later in connection with the epidemic. The wells are generally situated in back yards or gardens close to the rear of houses. The water is generally found at a depth of 11 to 12 feet from the surface. The wells are round in shape and built of brick without cement or mortar so that soakage from the surrounding soil is bound to take place. The mouth of the well is, in many instances, below the level of the ground, being generally covered over with a flat stone or other unsuitable covering not calculated to prevent the entrance of surface water to the well. The water, in certain cases, is obtained by bucket and windlass, but more often by a hand pump. The pump is sometimes found in the scullery of the houses, and information as to the exact location of the well is difficult to obtain. As a whole, the wells must be said to form very unsatisfactory and even dangerous sources of supply. Not only may the sub- soil water on which they draw be polluted by neighbouring cess- pools or drains, but in most cases the surface water which gets into them from the surroundings of the houses cannot fail to cause serious pollution of the well-water. It is indeed surprising that a place of the consequence of Ringwood has not long ago been provided with a suitable water supply of satisfactory quality. Drainage.—There is no sewerage system in Ringwood, though there are a number of drains used to convey slop-waters from the houses and surface water from the roads, &c., to the river. The accompanying map shows the course of the chief drains and their points of discharge into the river. The main drainage outfall is at the south-eastern extremity of Bickerley Common not far from the railway line. There is also another outlet at the other end of the town near the brewery. The drainage is discharged in its crude condition into the river without treatment of any kind. I am unable to say, from personal inspection, whether these drains are in a satisfactory condition or not, but I was informed that many of them are jointed with clay and far from water-tight. I was likewise unable to obtain exact information as to the connections made with them and thus no adequate idea as to the composition or character of their contents could be arrived at. The town ditch, which runs at the back of the houses in Christchurch Street, is also shown on the map : it acts more or less in the capacity of an open drain. Excrement disposal.—Pail closets are in almost universal use. Their construction is in many instances far from satisfactory and they are sometimes placed too near to dwelling houses. The contents of the pails are removed twice weekly by the district council. The pails are taken from the closets and emptied into a cart which goes round at night for the purpose. This cart is not properly covered, though some attempt seems to have been made by a local joiner to improvise a covering of wood. rlhe