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

Wandsworth 1865

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth District, The Board of Works (Clapham, Putney, Streatham, Tooting & Wandsworth)]

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SUPPLEMENTAL REMARKS
Oil the Supply of Pure Water during the prevalence of Cholera.
The importance attached, at this particular juncture, to an
abundant supply of pure water, and to the suggested closing of all
surface and other wells found to contain organic matter, the result
of percolation from cesspools and other sources of contamination,
renders it desirable that all persons should have the means supplied
them of forming correct views upon this momentous question.
No apology, therefore, is necessary for here repeating the results
of certain analyses and microscopical examinations of several of
the well waters of this District made a few years since, more
especially those in the large Sub-district of Wandsworth and the
comparatively small one of Putney, as giving a fair sample of
the condition of such waters throughout the District.

Table: Dr. Nicholas, Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth, in 1856, appended the following table to his report for that year:— Table showing the Impurity and Hardness of samples of the several kinds of Water in general use in the Parish of Wandsworth.

Dr. Nicholas, Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth, in 1856, appended the following table to his report for that year:— Table showing the Impurity and Hardness of samples of the several kinds of Water in general use in the Parish of Wandsworth.

Source of Supply.Date.Solid Constituents in grains per Imperial Gallon.Hardness in degrees, each degree equal to one grain of chalk per gal.Remarks.
Organic Matter.Inorganic Matter.Total Impurity.Temporary.Permanent.Total.
Artesian boring atYoung and Bain-bridge's Brewery, High Street.Feb.0.95519.65320.597°317°31Sparkling, colorless, odourless.
March1.01519.6020.615
Artesian boring at Summerstown.Feb.1.3019.4520 .757°047°0614°1Ditto.
South wark andVauxhall Co., from a Main in High St.March1.3516.7318.086°356°4012°75Clear, colorless, odourless.
River Wandle, after filtration, at Messrs. McMurray's Paper Mills.March2.4516.5218.973°3410°6614°1Ditto.
Feb.7.2117.7324.948°785°8014°58Turbid from the pres- ence of much organic matter, visible to the naked eye; has an unpleasant smell.
River Wandle, near the Bridge.March3.9017.5421.44....
April6.4516.9523.40......
Well, common to Nos. 3 & 4, Church Row. Pump at Dunse Hill-Jan.7.70103.0110.7015°2133°1548°36Clear, straw colored; trace of ammonia; aboundsin nitric acid Ditto
Feb.9.55111.95121.5016°1530°2546°4
Do. at Warple Row.April11.375110.05121.42513°8658°6472°5Odourless, slightly opalascent, slight trace of nitric acid.
Do, at Prince's PlaceApril13.5059.8073.305°526°031°5Clear, colourless, odourless, contains nitric acid. Ditto.
Do. at Point PleasantApril13.8237.2051.027°218°826°
Do. at Spencer's CourtApril*14.69173.28187.97......Clear, straw colored; contains much nitric acid.
14.90172.66187.5619°4547°2066°65
Do. at Martin's Buildings, Frog-moor.April*15.40187.10202.50..°..Straw colored, clear when first pumped, but soon becoming more opalescent; trace of ammonia; contains much nitric acid.
15.31186.65201.9616°3744°7561°12

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The results contained in this table are the mean of not less than two analyses, several
are of more than two. The hardness was determined by the soap-test process of Dr.
Clark, the permanent hardness after boiling the water five minutes, the temporary
hardness being the amount removable by the boiling.
*These two analyses were made at the laboratory of St. Thomas' Hospital by Mr. Oersted, to
whom, and to Dr. R. Dundas Thompson, I am much indebted for kind assistance and advice in
these investigations.