Dr. H. F. Parson's report on the general sanitary condition of the Bedlingshire urban district, and on the recent prevalence of scarlet fever in the district.

  • Parsons, H. F.
Date:
1880
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. H. F. Parson's report on the general sanitary condition of the Bedlingshire urban district, and on the recent prevalence of scarlet fever in the district. 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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    Sanitary Administration.—The Local Government Acts were adopted in the district in 1862. The Local Board consists of 10 members, who meet monthly. The Urban Sanitary Authority have appointed Mr. D. Carmichael as Medical Officer at an annual salary of 40L, of which one half is repaid by the Local Government Board. The Medical Officer of Health makes frequent inspections in the district, and reports to the Sanitary Authority every month upon the health and sanitary condition of the district. The registrar furnishes him with monthly lists of deaths occurring within the district, but the lists are defective in that they do not give the name of the deceased; the registrar, however, supplies this in the case of deaths from infectious diseases. The Medical Officer of Health prepares an annual report, which is printed by order of the Sanitary Authority, and a copy of which is forwarded to the Local Government Board. Mr. Fenwick is appointed inspector of nuisances and surveyor of waterworks and highways at a salary of 120Z. per annum, no part of which is repaid from the Parlia- mentary grant. His whole time is devoted to his duties. During the three years 1876-78, 657 nuisances were abated. Most of the places specially complained of by the Medical Officer of Health in his reports, were visited during the present inspection, and in many of the cases the conditions complained of were found to have been more or less satisfactorily remedied. The Urban Sanitary Authority have a set of byelaws which were adopted in 1862. These embrace provisions with respect to the conduct of meetings, for the regulation of common lodging-houses, for the cleansing of footways and removal of refuse, for the regulation of slaughter-houses, and with respect to the construction of new streets and buildings. There is a surveyor of plans and buildings, Mr. Hogarth, whose duty it is to examine all plans submitted to the Urban Sanitary Authority, and to supervise the erection of new buildings. Formerly the Authority were very lax in carrying out their duties in this and other respects. There is a row of back-to-back houses at Scotland Gate, the plans of which were passed by the Sanitary Authority, although they had a byelaw which requires that every house to be newly erected shall have at the rear or side an open space of at least 150 square feet in area. The Sanitary Authority seem however to be now more careful in this respect, but very little building has taken place lately. Nothing however is done towards improving the midden system even in the case of new buildings; some privies lately erected in connexion with new houses, the plans for which had been passed by the Sanitary Authority, had open ashpits measuring 10 feet by 5 feet. The Urban Sanitary Authority have borrowed 29,451/. for works of water supply, of which 26,898Z. are still owing. Disinfection.—Disinfectants are supplied free of cost to persons in whose houses i serious infectious sickness has occurred, and at the termination of the illness the house is in most cases fumigated with burning sulphur. The Sanitary Authority do not possess any apparatus for the disinfection of clothing or bedding by heat. Hospital Accommodation.—There is a small cottage hospital at Blyth, which is intended for the use of sailors coming to the port. It was provided by private effort, but the Bedlington Urban Sanitary Authority pay about 9Z. a year towards its maintenance. It was originally a row of one-storied cottages, and has three wards with two beds in each, and a kitchen and bath room. Its use is not confined to cases of infectious sick- ness, other diseases and injuries being treated in it. There is no other accommodation available for the district. The question of providing a small hospital for isolation of cases of infectious disease has been lately under discussion, but was negatived, the Sanitary Authority being advised that they had in most cases no power to compel sick persons to enter it, and being of opinion that few would do so voluntarily. In this connexion, however, the Sanitary Authority do not appear to have taken into account the probability that popular prejudices against hospitals will disappear in this district, as the}r have disappeared elsewhere, as people get experience of the benefits accruing from hospital isolation and treatment. And it may be believed that the Sanitary Authority’s power of compulsion, in any case where it may unhappily be needful, will prove to be more considerable than the Authority appear to have supposed. In conclusion, I have to express my obligations to the members and officers of the Bedlingtonshire Urban Sanitary Authority for their courteous assistance in the course of this inspection. H. FRANKLIN PARSONS, M.D.