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
Hackney 1893
Report on the sanitary condition of the Hackney District for the year 1893
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28
CHEMICAL ANALYSES OF SAMPLES OF LEYTON
AND WALTHAMSTOW EFFLUENTS.
I give below the result of my analyses of these effluents. The results correspond very closely to those presented to the Board in April last, and show the effluents to be highly polluted, and quite unfit to be carried into the river Lea.
| Place of Collection of Sample. | Physical Qualities. | GRAINS PER GALLON. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Solids | Chlorine | Free Ammonia | Alb'menoid Ammonia | Nitrogen as Nitrates & Nitrites | Oxygeu absorbed in 1 hour at 60° | Phosphoric Acid | ||
| Taken from Leyton effluent as it leaves the Sewage Farm, August 27th, 1893 | Appearance, turbid; smell, very offensive; considerable amount of suspended matter | 83 | 5. | 1.141 | .280 | .00 | .480 | Heavy traces |
| Taken from the Walthamstow ditch just before its entrance into River Lea, August 27th, 1893 | Appearance, slightly turbid; smell, offensive; much suspended matter | 44 | 6.9 | .910 | .105 | .00 | .560 | Heavy traces |
I remain, Gentlemen,
Yours obediently,
J. KING WARRY, M.D., D.P.H.,
Acting Mtdical Officer of Health for the District
20th September, 1893.
The Board on the Motion of Mr. Tiddeman resolved—
"That a copy of the report of the Acting Medical Officer of Health, of
the result of his Analyses of samples of Leyton and Walthamstow Effluents,
be forwarded to the London County Council, the Lea Conservancy Board
the Secretary of State, and the Local Government Board."
In reply, the following letter with enclosure was received from the
Lea Conservancy Board:-
LEfe Conservancy Office,
12, Finsbury Circus,
London, E.C.,
11th November, 1893.
Dear Sir,—In answer to your letter of the 10th ultimo, and copy of
Dr. King Warry's report on the effluents from the Sewage Works of
Walthamstow and Leyton, I am directed to send, for the information
of the Hackney Board of Works, a copy of the report of Major L. Flower,
the Sanitary Engineer of the Conservancy, on the matter.