[Report 1909] / Medical Officer of Health, West Riding of Yorkshire.

  • West Riding of Yorkshire (England). Council.
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1909] / Medical Officer of Health, West Riding of Yorkshire. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Oldham Corporation Water Bill sought- to make deep borings for the abstraction of the underground waters in the Saddleworth District,—proposals which were defeated on opposi¬ tion. Borough Extension Orders.—Opposition of the Dewsbury and Batley Extension Orders was ineffectual. In the case of Wake¬ field, the County Council opposition was not carried beyond the Local Inquiry. The following changes of boundary, therefore, came in operation at the dates shewn :— 9th November, 1909.—Wakefield absorbed Sandal. 31st March, 1910.—Batley absorbed part of Sooth ill 1 pper. 31st March, 1910.—Dewsbury took in Ravensthorpe, Sooth ill Nether, Thornhill, and the remaining part of Soothill Upper. Public Bills and Orders.—Some very important sanitary legis¬ lation was before Parliament during 1909 calling for careful con¬ sideration by the Health Authorities. The Housing and Town Planning Bill ultimately became law on the 3rd December, 1909, and will be discussed in this report when dealing with Housing. The Milk and Dairies Bill did not get through all its stages, and this necessitated the withdrawal of the Tuberculosis Order, issued by the Board of Agriculture in anticipation of the passing of the Milk Bill. On both these measures the West Riding Sanitary Committee made detailed criticisms while supporting generally the need for such legislation. Laboratory Work.—A separate part of this report gives details of the work accomplished in the Bacteriological Section of the County Health Laboratory during the year (see page 15). If the 9210 specimens examined had been uniformly spread over the year, we should have had something like 30 per working day, which is a sufficiently large number. When it is remembered, however, that the specimens fluctuate with the prevalence of disease, it will be realised that the work has often to be carried on under great pressure. The reports of the local Medical Officers of Health bear eloquent testimony to the valuable assistance given m the diagnosis of diphtheria, enteric fever and tuberculosis, and it is clear that we have not reached the limit of usefulness in this department. The laboratory is already somewhat cramped for room and convenience for making the large amount of media and other preparations required in the work. Tor this and other reasons we have had to curtail somewhat our activities in the chemical department. Water samples are now examined chiefly in fhe Public Analyst’s Laboratory at Bradford, though we retain the branch dealing with the plumbo-solvent action of drinking waters. During fhe year 190 samples were examined and reported on in this connection. Local Government Board Inquiries.—The following list gives fhe year’s record of sanitary schemes put before the Local Govern-