On the advantages to be derived from the adoption of the Local Government Act, as exemplified in Croydon / by Edward Westall.

  • Westall, Edward.
Date:
1865
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the advantages to be derived from the adoption of the Local Government Act, as exemplified in Croydon / by Edward Westall. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    The deaths under 20 years of age were, in the years 1845-54, 51 per cent. ; 1855-64, 41*4 per cent. The infant mortality has varied but little ; being, under one year, about 1 in 7. The foregoing figures show clearly the advantages de- rived from the sanitary works at Croydon. In addition to the present benefits, of a constant and full supply of pure water—forty-six gallons per head to about 27,000 inhabitants (the outer portions of the parish being supplied by the Lambeth works, or by wells)—every house is connected with the sewers by glazed earthen socket-pipes, the larger sewers being of brickwork in cement, discharging at five different outfalls, intended eventually to converge by one main drain, on to the irrigation farm at Beddington, of about 300 acres, one mile distant from Croydon ; the farm yielding a profit rental to the town of £i per acre. Every house, or series of houses, is ventilated by the rain- water stack-pipes, or by upright pipes placed outside the houses. All the drains and sewers are flushed at frequent intervals, and a thorough system of scavenging is carried out. The old slaughter-houses are carefully watched; and others have been erected by the Board, outside the town. An excellent code of Bye-Laws has been framed by the Board, and sanctioned by the Secretary of State, in which are stringent regulations referring to cottage buildings; more especially applying to their ventilation, lighting, and the area of the rooms; the frequent objections made to these by builders fully illustrate their necessity, and it is to be hoped that the Board will not relax in the endeavours to enforce these most salutary aids to health, amongst the poorer classes of society. The result is a large decrease of sickness, especially amongst the poorer classes; a very large increase of population; the birth-rate increased from 2*91 to 3*14 per cent. ; and the deaths decreased from 2*366 to 1*845 in the thousand—showing a saving of above two hundred