First report. : Minutes of evidence taken before the Commissioners appointed to inquire whether any and what special means may be requisite for the improvement of the health of the metropolis.

  • Great Britain. Metropolitan Sanitary Commission.
Date:
1847
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: First report. : Minutes of evidence taken before the Commissioners appointed to inquire whether any and what special means may be requisite for the improvement of the health of the metropolis. 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.

    13/204 (page 7)
    —On board a very small vessel, the captain (patient the captain's wife) and two children, one No. 1. an infant, sleeping, or rather lying, in th^ same bed with the patient, and suckled, all e-^caped, ji Bowie, Esq., as did also the medical attendants and several visitors. Surgeon. •—On board of a similar vessel, (patient the captain's wife,) the captain, his wife, and three children all slept in the same bed. O.ie of the children, an infant, was suckled by the paiijnt. There were several visitors and three medical attendants ; all remained free from the disease. —On board of a coaster the crew and medical attendants e--c;iped. —On board of a smack, the captain, crew, medical attendants, and the family where the patient went to reside, remained well. —In a cholera hospital, one man, in the agonies of death, was hnng over and kis'^ed by his weeping daughters : none of whom took the disease. —I could bring fon^•ard other and numerous proofs of the disease being non-contagious were they deemed necessary. —Another circumstance it might be worth while to mention. A second outbreak of cliolera took place in June, when I found it more intractable than on its first appearance, especlnlly •with rega'-d to the consecutive fever, for while I never lost a single patient in the spring whom I could get into that stage, several died, who, judging from former cases, I expected to do wA\. —It \t a curious fact, that the first and the last case of cholera I attended wa> at the Her- mitage. The last was a captain of a vessel; and when I reported his case, an official notice was sent to me, that the Cholera Board> had ceased to exist, as cliolera had ceased m London. That occurred, I think, in September, 1834. (^Second Part?) Will you be so good as to describe the Model Lodging-house at Glasshouse-yard ?—It is a large building consisting of three floors. Tue lower floor contains two wards; the m ddle floor one ward ; the upper floor two wards, and two lodging-rooms, convertible wh -n ne- cessary into sick rooms. Attached to this building are a receiving office; two rooms inhabited by the clerk and matron ; a reading, refreshment, or waiting-room ; a convenient kiicIk^u ; good water-closets, and a large tank containing a good supply of water. The buildings altogether form an oblong square, leaving a considerable unoccupied open space. What was the expense of constructing and fitting the buildings?—The hou^e and part of the offices have formerly formed a portion of a glass manufactory, from which the street and yard where they are situated derived their names. They were in a most dilapidated and ruinous condition. Indeed it may be said that the greater part of the kitchen, reading-room, receiving office, and clerk's apartments had to be rebuilt ; the water tank and water-ciosels ''-^M' to be wholly built; the yard levelled; large flues dug out of the btiildiiig, wo iden floors substituted for earthen ones, full of deep trenches and uneven projjctions. Water and gas laid on; old drains repaired and new ones formed; painting and glazing executed to a great extent; bed places, bedding, stoves, funnels, kitchen utensils, &c., procured; all of which was accomplished for a sum not exceeding 1000^. Judging from experience, would you make any alterations were you to constriict or fit up others ?—Several trifling improvements might be effected, but I would not be inclined to dej ai t far from the plans adopted in the first modjl lodging-house. Describe the numbers, occupation, and the behaviour of the lodgers?—The number of lodgers nightly were :— Men. Women. Total. January . . 1,242 1,242 February . 1,448 376 1,824 March . . 1,738 435 2,173 April . 2,487 592 3 079 May . 4,109 576 4.685 June . 3.2S5 439 3.724 July . 2,685 389 3,074 August . . 2,839 483 3,322 September . 3.550 319 3,869 Total . 23,383 3,609 26.9'J2 With very few exceptions, indeed, the behaviour of the lodgers is quiet, orderly, and re- spectful. They seem perfectly aware that disorderly conduct wid not be tolerated, haviiif seen in the few instances necessary to be taken notice of, that the rules aie not broken without reproof or dismissal, and that when crime is committed, they are not screened from punishment. I may here mention that there are seats set apart for them in a cha|), 1 of ease belonging to the'church, which appears to afford a number of them gratification. As many as thirty or forty have gone there at a time and conducted themselves with proprietv. On Sundays their favourite book seems the Bible, and I have frequently found them in their bed-places reading it, when they could have no expectation of endeavouring to gain favour by anj ostentatious display. The library is tolerably well supplied with religiousanel instructive books and periodicals, and it is interesting to see with what anxiety thev inquire for the new publications about the time thej generally reach Glasshouse-yard. The books and periodicals are generously supplied by the gentleman through whose means the experiment of the lodging-house has been made, and by donations from visitors who approve of the un- dertaking. I feel assured that the conduct of the lodgers is improving, and that manv of them now look upon the establishment as a home. It is only of late their occupations have been inquired into.