Volume 8

The Health Exhibition literature : Health in relation to civic life. Vol. VIII.

  • International Health Exhibition (1884 : London, England)
Date:
1884
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Health Exhibition literature : Health in relation to civic life. Vol. VIII. 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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    taking a test case into Court, the reply was, “ objection might probably be taken on the ground that in the case of each house being taken by itself, a supply could not be provided at a cost coming within the limit fixed.” Now it was simply absurd in most rural districts to think of pro- viding an adequate supply of water, where none already exists, for 8/. 13X 4^/., but if a common supply could be provided for a group of houses, in many instances the Act might be made available, and the cost, per cottage, when apportioned might be considerably less than that sum. Mr. Phillip Nunn said there was no doubt that the working man had to pay a much larger rent in proportion than the class above him, and this was very prejudicial to the public health, and tended to overcrowding. In his district he feared there was a tendency for the health of the working class to become deteriorated by the high price at which land was sold, and it seemed to him that one of the practical points for a conference of this kind to consider, was whether any means could be devised by which land could be bought compulsorily by the Local Authority, on which suitable houses could be erected, which could be occupied by working men at a fair rent in proportion to their income. He believed that Medical Officers of Health generally would bear him out in the statement, that in all towns in urban districts this condition of overcrowding from high rent, and the high price of land, was one of the great causes tending to injure the health of the community. With regard to education in schools, it was no doubt very important, but they must first educate the authorities. Committees of schools generally knew nothing and cared less about sanitary matters in schools. They must en- courage the clergymen and the committee to take an interest in these things ; and not until that was done could they expect to educate the children properly in sanitary matters. Then popular health maxims and pictorial illustrations might be used to advantage, and thus the rising generation might be educated. Dr. Dudfield said people often wondered at the per-