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146 Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
With regard to question 3 in four towns the Medical Officers
of Health report that they have been able to trace connection
between the effluvia from the sewer ventilators and disease. The
Medical Officer of Health for Hastings states that he has traced
Diphtheria to defective street gullies, but this should not be
classed with surface ventilators on account of the fact that in dry
weather although the gully may be sealed, if any offensive matter
is present decomposition may take place in the gully itself. In
West Bromwich the Medical Officer of Health reports that on two
occasions he was able to trace a connection, and the Medical
Officer of Health for Swansea reports that he has only been able
to trace a connection in rare cases. In the other town in which
the Medical Officer gave an answer in the affirmative no particulars
are given.
With regard to intercepting traps, in all the replies the
conditions are similar to those existing in London, excepting
Hanley, Leicester, Stockport, Northampton, Burnley, Halifax.
Warrington, and Salford, where there are no intercepting traps
between the house and the sewer.
With regard to question 5 a negative answer has been given
in the majority, but the Medical Officers of Health of Grimsby,
Northampton, Leicester, Hastings, Birkenhead, and Croydon.
reply in the affirmative. In Stockport and Burnley such ventilating
shafts are required if an interceptor is used.
An examination of the death-rates from all causes and the
death-rate from Diphtheria in 1901 in the towns comprising the
above four mentioned groups throws little light on the casual
relationship between ventilation of sewers and either the general
health of the community or the prevalence of Diphtheria. For
example Bristol with no ventilators had a Diphtheria death-rate of
.38, Huddersfield with surface ventilating shafts only had a deathrate
of .06, and Great Yarmouth with ventilating shafts only had
a death-rate of .76 per thousand. Again, Hastings, with ventilating
shafts only had a death-rate from Diphtheria of .09 and
Cardiff with surface ventilators had a rate of .47 per thousand.
The following Table shows the death-rate from all causes
and from Diphtheria for the year 1901 for these 57 towns, and also
for the Borough of Wandsworth,