Mr. W. H. Power's report to the local government board on prevalence of diphtheria and other throat illness at Radwinter, in the Saffron Walden Rural Sanitary District.

  • Power, W. H.
Date:
1877
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Mr. W. H. Power's report to the local government board on prevalence of diphtheria and other throat illness at Radwinter, in the Saffron Walden Rural Sanitary District. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    Mr. W. H. Power’s Report to the Local Government Board on Prevalence of Diphtheria and other Throat Illness at Radwinter, in the Saffron Walden Rural Sanitary District. — Edward C. Seaton, M.D., Inspected, May 1877. Medical Department, August 3, 1877. Four deaths from diphtheria in each of the two last quarters of 1876, and five from the same disease in the first quarter of 1877, were registered in the Radwinter sub-district. Saffron Walden. These data in the Retmns of the Registrar-General gave occasion for the following inquiry. On arriving in the district and upon examination of the local registrar’s books, it was soon evident that the 13 deaths above enumerated by no means represented the whole prevalence of fatal throat illness in the six parishes constituting the sub-district. From these books it appeared that a fatal case of diphtheria occurred so far back as July 1875, and that towards the close of that year, and in the early part of 1876, “ croup ” proved fatal in three instances. In all, from July 1875 to the present time, there have occurred in the six parishes no less than 20 fatal cases of throat illness. In view of the lapse of time since the first occurrence of fatal throat illness in the sub-district, and of a still earlier prevalence of diphtheria ascertained to have occurred in neighbouring places, inquiry respecting circumstances of diphtheria origin could not, it was thought, usefully be made. Accordingly, attention has been mainly given to examination of the circumstances under which extension of the disease has taken place, and to this end Radwinter parish, in which 12 of the 20 fatal cases have occurred, has been selected for investigation. Radwinter parish, acres 3,802, population (in 1871) 986, is situated five miles east of Saffron Walden, upon high undulating country formed of gravel and Boulder clay overlying the Chalk formation. Its population, in number about the same now as in 1871, is almost wholly agricultural, and is much scattered. Except a considerable aggregation of dwellings about the church and school the parish has no village, but consists of a series of cottages distributed in smaller or larger groups over a very wide area. Some of these groups of dwellings are much isolated, and have but limited relation with other parts of the parish. The chief of them with the distance in each instance from the “ village,” are: Chapel End with Sampford Road, 2-4 furlongs; Maple Lane, 5 furlongs; Water Lane, 3-6 furlongs ; Stocking Green, 1-1miles; Tilekiln, 1-1^ miles; and Radwinter End, 2 miles and upwards. Dwellings.—Cottages are most of them of lath and plaster, with bricked floors and thatched roofs. A few are built wholly of wood. Some of the newer ones are of brick, with tiled or slated roofs. Almost all have gardens. Old dwellings are many of them dilapidated, and generally they are ill-ventilated; their windows commonly being small and frequently not made to open. As regards sleeping accommodation in dwellings, a survey was made in 1874 by the officers of the sanitary authority in respect of 194 houses in the parish; and from this survey it appeared that 16 per cent, had but one bedroom; 60 per cent, had two; and 24 per cent, had three or more bedrooms. As regards density of occupation it was found that in 33 instances (17 per cent, of the houses) four or more inmates occupied one bedroom, and 230 persons (31 per cent, of the population whose dwellings were inspected) were judged to be more or less overcrowded by night. Overcrowding of this sort has been in some cases dealt with by the sanitary authority as a nuisance, and abatement procured. Also dwellings unfit for habitation have been closed. Water supplg.—For drinking purposes, water of the superficial soil is mainly in use ; only a few persons store and use rajn-water. In the gravel districts water is obtained from wells, which, except in very dry seasons, rarely wholly fail in their supply. On the confines of the gravel area springs are not uncommon. Upon the high clay lands water is stored in ponds, which even in ordinary summers soon become dry, as also do many of the watercourses, here fed solely by land water. Thus many persons are put to great inconvenience in obtaining water, which has to be carried long distances from the few accessible wells or springs. Drainage.—No drainage fulfilling any sanitary purpose at present exists in the parish. Slop and refuse water is cast on the ground or into pits dug in the gardens for the reception of solid and liquid refuse. Excrement disposal is wholly by pit privies. These are commonly set in gardens at a distance from dwellings. Cottage property of the older sort is not always sufficiently provided 42359. Wt. 5761. A