Report by the medical officer of health for the city of Glasgow to the board of police. October, 1863.

  • Gairdner, W. T. (William Tennant), Sir, 1824-1907.
Date:
1863
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report by the medical officer of health for the city of Glasgow to the board of police. October, 1863. 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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    been roofed over, and made into a dwelling-lionse. In another a room Imilt for a ■\vash-lioiise has since been similarly occii2)ied. It is imjiossible to Avitness such abuses as these without nxising the question—Would it not be possible to oiitbid this reckless and demoralising speculation, by presenting to these poor people the best bargain that can be given in the way of house-room, at from Is. to Is. Gd. a-week? I am sure that in Camlachie, at least, this problem presents to men of business, who are at the same time desii’ous of making a beneficent use of capital, every possible facility for solution. IV. Northern District.—The principal localities affected have been in Maitland Street, Lyon Street, Brown Street, William Street, Muse Lane, Society Row, Garscube Road, and Fossil Road. In most of these localities I have noted sanitaiy defects of various degrees of urgency as requiring correction, but none of them are so widespread in their operation as to I’equire very pai’- ticular remark in this Report, as I have no doubt they will be in some instances removed on a representation to the factors, or by the ordinary operation of the Police Act. Dark and ill-ventilated passages, overcroAvded rooms, AvindoAvs too small or not matle to open, ill-placed and noisome ashpits—such were the chief predis- posing causes, so far as they could be folloAv^ed out, of epidemic disease in this district. V. Western District.—Tlie small amount of epidemic disease reported in this district hardly admits of any lengthened remarks. It is to be observed, hoAvever, that smallpox and scarlet fever have certainly been much more extensively present than appears from the returns made to me, it being knoAvn to me from priwate sources that many cases have been attended by practitioners in j)rivate houses Avithout being reported to the sanitary authorities. This is alAvays and inevitably the case Avhere disease appears among persons superior to the class Avho apply for medical assist- ance to the parishes and ]niblic institutions. Unfoi-tunately it does not ahvays folloAv that the usual sources of epidemic disease are not present in sucli cases, and in a former Report I alluded to facts Avhich had reached me, shoAving that smallpox had pre- vailed extensiA^ely in one particular part of the Western District,