Interment and disinterment : a further exposition of the practices pursued in the metropolitan places of sepulture, and the results as affecting the health of the living : in a series of letters to the editor of the Morning Herald / by G.A. Walker.

Date:
1843
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Interment and disinterment : a further exposition of the practices pursued in the metropolitan places of sepulture, and the results as affecting the health of the living : in a series of letters to the editor of the Morning Herald / by G.A. Walker. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    Four bodies had been placed in a tomb in the Eastern Cemetery, into which it was found water had penetrated, the first body had been interred in Februarv, 1836, the last in April, 1839. Two grave-diggers employed in the removal of the water and the dead bodies, were from the commencement of their labour struck with the fetid odour given off, yet they continued their work. They had removed a large quantity of water and two coffins, when in attempting to seize the third, their feet slipped, and the water remaining in the tomb was violently agitated by their fall. O.ie of the men fell instantly lifeless. His comrade made several efforts to raise him ; at the third attempt he fell, deprived of consciousness, upon the body of his unfortunate companion; assistance being quickly rendered, the men were withdrawn from the tomb. The grave-digger who first fell was dead ; the other, notwithstand- ing the attentions of two medical men, remained unconscious during six hours— for the space of a month afterwards he suffered greatly from difficulty of breathing and weakness of the legs, which in the course of the same month were affected with, a general desquamation.—Annales D' Hygiene, Sqc., January, 1840. I was called one Tuesday to see a gentleman advanced in life, well known to manv members of this House, and intimately known to the Speaker. This gentle- mmon the Sunday previous went to a dissenting chapel, where the principal part of the hearers as they died were buried in the ground, or vaults underneath; I found him labouring under symptoms of malignant fever, and on questioning him as to its cause, for it was so malignant that its fatal issue was evident, he said that on going up the steps to the chapel he felt a rush of foul air issuing from the grated openings existing on each side of the steps. The effect upon him was instantaneous. It produced a feeling of sinking, with nausea, and so great a debility that he scarcely could get into the chapel; he remained a short time, but finding this feeling increase he went home, was obliged to go to bed, and there he remained. Up to the time of my ascertaining the origin of his complaint he had slept with his wife. He died eight days afterwards. His wife caught the disease, and died in eight days also, having experienced the same symptoms. Means of counter-action were used, and the fever did not extend to any other member of the family.—Vide Evidence of James Copland, Esq., M.D., F.R.S., Censor of the Royal Col. of Phy., p. 157, Answer 2,662. In the month of June, in the year 1835, a woman died of typhus fever, in the upper part of the house, No. 17, White Horse-yard, Drury-lane ; the body, which was buried on the fourth day, was brought down a narrow staircase. Lewis Swalthey, shoe-maker, then living with his family on the second floor of this house, and now residing at No. 5, Princes-treet, Drury-lane, during the time the coffin was placed for a few minutes in the doorway of his room, was sensible of a most disgusting odour, which escaped from the coffin. He complained almost immediately after- wards of a peculiar coppery taste; in a few hours afterwards he had slight sensations of chilliness, which before the next sunset had merged into repeated shiverings of considerable intensity. That evening he was confined to his bed—he passed through a most severe form of typhus fever; at the expiration of the third week he was removed to the fever hospital and recovered. He had been in excellent health up to the instant when he was exposed to this malaria. Mr. Mason, a patient of mine, some years since was exposed to similar influence. A stout muscular man died in his house in the month of June, after a short illness ; on bringing the body down stairs, a disgustingly fetid sanies escaped from the coffin in such considerable quantity, that it flowed down the stairs. Mr. M. was instantly affected with giddiness, prostration of strength, and extreme lassitude; he had a peculiar metallic taste in the mouth, which continued some days; he believes that his health has been deranged from this cause. A policeman on night duty in a neighbourhood immediately adjoining two grave-yards, has frequently smelled a peculiar and disgusting stench. The smell was most offensive between the hours of 12 and 3 in the morning. As a consequence, he was seized with vomiting and giddiness, so that he was often compelled to seize the nearest support to prevent his falling. In one instance he was so seriously affected, that he was obliged to seek immediate medical assistance, and incapacitated from performing his duties for some days. He had “ not had a day’s illness ” pre- vious to this exposure, and since his removal to “ another beat, assures me that he ia in as good health as any man.” William Chamberlain, No. 1, Little Wild-street, Great Queen-street, was many years since employed in preparing a vault in the Green Ground, Portugal-street, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, for the reception of a body. He had placed one foot on a leaden coffin in the vault and the other on the brickwork of the entrance, when he perceived a “ gush, like a puff of wind, come from the coffin under his foot. He felt his power leave him, and from that time (although he never had a day’s illness
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