[Report 1903] / Medical Officer of Health, Marlborough Borough.

  • Marlborough (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1903
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1903] / Medical Officer of Health, Marlborough Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    BOROUGH OF MARLBOROUGH. Gentlemen,-—I beg to present my annual report, together with statistics of birth rates, death rates, the incidence of zymotic disease and a summary of work done under the Factory and Workshop Act. Copies of all these are sent to the Local Government Board and County Council, and of the latter to the Secretary of State also. The population is estimated at 4123. The death rate is slightly higher than last year, but still below the average for the last ten years. Area in acres of the borough is 601; persons per acre, 6.8. Birth rate, 31.1; death rate, 9.21; infantile mortality, 114.9 (average for 10 years 116.18); zymotic death rate, nil; phthisis death rate, 0.72 ; cancer death rate, per 1000, 1.69. House Accommodation.—This has improved during the last year, due to the new houses built in the previous year; but none of the old cottages have been demolished, though they are in general in a better state of repair. The houses built, with a few exceptions, are not of a kind suitable for the small wage-earner. But the addition of the new houses has relieved the pressure to a certain extent. But some of the houses mentioned in previous reports are of a kind which it would be much better to replace. Two cases of overcrowding were reported. In one house, eleven persons occupied two rooms, the total capacity of the two rooms together being barely 1,300 cubic feet. In the other, eleven people occupied three rooms. Notices were served to abate the nuisance. It is difficult to deal with these cases without inflicting some hardships. Drainage.—The history of the sewerage works is one of delays and disappointments. But at last it seems likely that the outfall works will be finished and the house connections be begun. I have several times insisted on the importance of all premises being surveyed for this purpose by a skilled engineer of experience, who shall see that the work is properly carried out. Otherwise, not only will the sewerage scheme become a danger to the health of the town, but, unless as much storm water as possible is diverted from the sewers, the disposal works will become unmanageable. Last year I stated in my report that a sewer was needed for the Union Work- house drainage and for the houses, seven in number, in the north portion of the borough. During this year I sent a special report on the drainage of the workhouse, aversely criticising this. As I anticipated, some exception was taken to what I said in this report; nevertheless, I see no reason to alter a word of what I said in that report. No steps whatever have been taken by the Council to remedy the existing state of things. The only course to take is to provide the area with a sewer. A nuisance has arisen during this wet summer on account of the workhouse sewage discharging into a ditch and running down as far as Sun Lane. This has been temporarily remedied by the provision of large pits to receive the sewage, practically open cesspits, not conforming in their con¬ struction to the Borough bye-laws. The cause of the nuisance was stated to be only the wet summer; but it is also due to the fact that a great deal more sewage has to be dealt with now than formerly, on account of the w.c.’s provided, and the more frequent baths. The appointment of a man of experience to supervise the management of the outfall works and the sewers, who would also control the waterworks, both at the pumping station and in the town, is an important consideration. Scavenging.—Refuse is removed from the houses once a week. The method employed is that the refuse is deposited in various kinds of receptacles, which are placed by the householders by the side of the street pavement. The collecting is certainly com¬ pleted earlier than it was some years ago, but is going on long after traffic in the streets has com¬ menced. The receptacles used are often quite unsuitable and not covered, so that while the house refuse is waiting to be collected, some of it is sure to be scattered about the street. It is noteworthy that during the last two wet summers there has been less sickness and a lower death rate than usual. While not attributing this to any one cause, I think it is a fair inference that the more constant washing of the streets and laying of the dust may be a factor in this result. I have again and again urged the adoption of a regulation form of covered iron dust bin and also that the collection of refuse should be finished at a much earlier hour. Again, the scavengers should be instructed never to over-fill the carts, so that as little dust as possible is scattered in emptying the receptacles. Of course, this would entail more journeys by the carts, and the expense would be in¬ creased, unless the distance of carting the refuse could be shortened. Possibly the use of the refuse to produce power at the sewerage works might be worth considering. The Water Supply continues satisfactory. The supply for street watering has been supplemented by water taken out of the river above the Pewsey Road bridge. But as before mentioned, the very wet weather has been of much greater assistance. Factory and Workshops Act —The number inspected remains the same. All have been inspected by the Sanitary Inspector and some of them by my¬ self. Improvement in some sanitary arrangements has been carried out. Some further improvement in sanitary conveniences will be necessary when the sewage scheme comes into use. Here, again, import¬ ant points will be noticed in making house connections. In some cases storm water is used for flushing w.c’s., the quantity of which is quite unknown, very useful when the sewage went into the river, but very expen¬ sive when it all has to be pumped at the outfall works. Cowsheds.—There are now four situated in the borough, with which no fault has been found during the year. The sanction of the council has not been given to the regulations which were formed under the Cowsheds and Dairies Order. The Slaughter Houses, six in number, have been frequently inspected. I can only reiterate my opinion that it would be for the benefit of the con¬ sumers of meat if a public abattoir, in a suitable position, easy of inspection and supervision, was sub¬ stituted for the unsuitable and insanitary places at present used as slaughterhouses. Infectious Disease.—The number of cases has been very small, only seven in all, viz., scarlet fever, 5 ; diphtheria, 1; small pox, 1. This is remarkable in a population of over 4,000. The case of small pox occurred in a public house in the town, and was at large certainly for four days after the commencement, before medical advice was obtained. The case was removed to the special hospital for small pox, and a thorough disinfection of the house carried out, and all the usual precautions taken, with satisfactory results. The scarlet fever cases were all treated at the isolation hospital. The phthisis death rate is 0.72, which is below the average of the combined urban districts in the county. The cancer death rate, including one case of sarcoma, if very high. Cal¬ culated per 10,000 of the population, it is 16.9. Improvements. — Sanitary improvements have been carried out on several premises where defects were found during routine inspections. Food and Drugs Act.—A seizure of a large quantity of meat in an offensive state was made in July, on premises in the town, and destroyed after obtaining a magistrate’s order. No prosecution was undertaken, as there was a doubt whether it was intended for the food of man. (Signed) Thomas H. Haydon, B.A., M.B., B. M.O.H. PRINTED AT THE TIMES OFFICE, MARLBOROUGH.