Dr. H. F. Parson's report to the local government board on the general sanitary condition of Ince-in-Makerfield.

  • Parsons, H. F.
Date:
1879
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. H. F. Parson's report to the local government board on the general sanitary condition of Ince-in-Makerfield. 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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    16 nor yet the very numerous breaches of the Local Board’s byelaws forbidding the improper retention and accumulations of refuse matters, nor yet the neglect of the byelaws as to slaughter-houses, nor yet the neglect of the owners of houses to provide proper privy accommodation, nor yet the unwholesome condition of some of the privies that have been provided. When I asked him if he had ever had occasion to take out a summons for neglect of abatement of nuisance, he replied in the negative, for that the notices given were invariably complied with. Neither in the Board’s minute book, nor in the inspector’s report book, is there any indication of orders for sanitary work having been given by the Local Board upon reports by their Inspector. The following entry on the Local Board’s minutes on 25th July last, shows that the Local Board has become aware of what it ought to have discovered long ago: “ Serious complaints having been made of the in- ** adequate inspection of the town by the Inspector of Nuisances, the clerk “ was requested to direct the Inspector of Nuisances to regularly inspect “ the town by districts, and to furnish him with a plan for carrying out such “ inspections.” And now I have to describe the proceedings of the Local Board in respect to the advice I gave them on the occasion of an interview I had with them, on the completion of my inspection, on September 11th. After explaining to the Local Board so much as at that time was ascertained as to the cause of the fever, I left with them in writing the following memorandum of advice :— “ Immediate action necessary to be taken for checking the spread of enteric fever now existent in the Newquay Urban Sanitary District : a. At Tolcarne : 1. The existing cesspool to be carefully and completely emptied by pumping out its contents into the sea on the occurrence of the next spring tides (i.c. on or about September 16th) and at the time of high water, proper disinfectants being freely used during the progress of the work under the direct personal supervision of the Medical Officer of Health. After the pumping out, the interior walls and floor of the cesspit to be thoroughly cleansed and disinfected, then carefully examined for leaks, and all leaks properly repaired under the personal superintendence of the Surveyor. After this the whole floor and inner walls to be well covered with coal tar. 2. After the above emptying and disinfection, no excrement to be permitted to be discharged into the cesspit. 3. The bottom of the cesspit to be raised to the level of the discharge pipe, and a sufficient water-tight valve to be provided to retain the contents of the cesspit at the intervals between the several periods of its discharge. 4. The contents of the cesspit to be daily discharged into the sea at high water by an officer or workman of the Board. 5. The hotel and houses now discharging into the cesspit to be provided with earth-closets or privy pails, or other appropriate and wholesome kind of privy accommodation in lieu of water- closets. The Local Board should exercise its powers to provide appropriate earth for any earth- closets provided, and should itself undertake the removal and disposal of the earth that has been used, or of the contents of privy pails, or of any other kind of privy receptacle provided. 6. The “ mason’s traps ” in the course of the drains of all the houses at Tolcarne should be emptied, with the use of disinfectants, and abolished, and in lieu of them proper siphon traps should be introduced. 7. The cesspit should be freely ventilated by means of a -6-inch pipe proceeding directly up from the top of the cesspit. 8. Each house drain to be effectually ventilated by means of a 4-inch pipe, rising to above the roofs of the houses. b, A t Tolcarne and elsewhere in the district where cases of fever exist or have recently existed. 1. Waterclosets and other inlets to the drains to be daily dosed with carbolic acid [the disin- fectant I found in use] by an officer of the Board for so long a peifiod as shall be considered proper by the Medical Officer of Health. 2. Directions to be given that all articles of clothing, bedding, &c. used by the sick shall be disinfected with such disinfectant as may be prescribed by the Medical Officer of Health before they are washed or transmitted from the houses for washing or any other purpose.” In giving this advice as respects the drainage arrangements at Tolcarne, I simply fell back upon the original advice given by the Board on May 17, 1878, but I took pains to explain that my advice had reference only to the existing emergency, and that the arrangement was only to be regarded as a temporary one. I said that it would be necessary to make other and more fitting permanent arrangements for the drainage of the houses built and about to be built at Tolcarne Head. When I again visited Newquay on October 10, I learned that the cesspit was not emptied until the night of Sunday, September 23 (a period of neap tides), and that it was not pumped out, but that the contents were baled out