London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Battersea 1899
Report upon the public health and sanitary condition of the Parish of St. Mary, Battersea during the year1899
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to report upon the effects of the sewage flooding on the Public
Health. Accordingly investigation was carried out in 833
instances where flooding was reported to have occurred. In some
cases it was found that the flooding was due only to surface
water, owing to gullies, rainwater pipes and gutters being
temporarily stopped by dried leaves, paper, etc., washed down
by the rain. In the majority of cases, however, sewage flooding
of a serious character was found to have occurred; in many
houses rising above the damp courses, and in a considerable
number, saturating the wooden floorings, the resulting bad effects
being maintained for a long time; the solid constituents of sewage
being to a varying extent deposited on the soil beneath the
flooring, the smells therefrom being a subject of general complaint.
In most of the premises it was found that they were subject
to flooding on all occasions of very heavy storms.
The distribution, over the various sanitary districts of the premises where flooding was reported to have occurred, is as follows'—
| No. 1 | |||
| ,, 2 | 38 | ||
| ,, 3 | |||
| ,, 4 | |||
| ,, 5 | |||
| „ 6 | |||
| .. 7 | |||
| „ 8 | 47 | ||
| 833 | |||
As previously mentioned, the whole of the flooding was not
found, after enquiry, to be due to back-flooding of the sewers;
of the 833 premises visited, it was found in 43 instances that
little or no flooding had occurred, and in 93 other cases the
flooding was due either to surface water only, or the sewage
flooding was confined to yards and areas.
It was exceedingly difficult to prove that this flooding had
been the direct cause of any considerable degree of sickness,