London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Erith 1905
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Erith]
This page requires JavaScript
4
Closure of Schools.
In September I gave certificates for the Closure of the Infants' Departments
of the "Central" Schools, and of the "St. Augustine's" Schools, owing to an
outbreak of measles.
Sanatorium.
During the year 141 cases were treated, of which 107 were Scarlet Fever,
33 Diphtheria, and 1 Enteric Fever.
Two tables are attached, one showing the number of patients treated during the year, and the second giving the comparative returns of admissions for the past five years.
| Scarlet Fever. | Enteric Fever. | Diphtheria | Total. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In Hospital, January 1st, 1905 | 12 | - | 8 | 20 | ||
| Admitted during year | 107 | 1 | 33 | 141 | ||
| Discharged during year | 105 | 1 | 31 | 137 | ||
| Died during year | 5 | - | 2 | 7 | ||
| In Hospital, December 31st, 1905 | 9 | - | 8 | 17 | ||
| 1901. | . 1902. | 1903. | 1904. | 1905. | ||
| Scarlet Fever | 28 | 38 | 33 | 74 | 107 | |
| Enteric Fever | 23 | 23 | 6 | 9 | 1 | |
| Diphtheria | 14 | 35 | 20 | 39 | 33 | |
| Total | 65 | 96 | 59 | 122 | 141 | |
Drainage.
The system of Drainage is by Sewers. The main portion is carried by the
sewer which was laid in 1898. This consists of a high level portion which takes
the sewage from the upper parts of the District, and a low level portion which
runs parallel to the railway from Abbey Wood to Erith. This latter portion is
worked by the Shone pneumatic system. This system conveys the sewage to the
outfall works at Anchor Bay, where it is treated before being discharged into the
river Thames.
In Erith there is in addition a sewer known as the Old Sewer, with which at
the beginning of 1905, 374 houses were connected.
During the year I have examined the drains of a little over 200 of these
houses, and found them in almost every case in bad condition. These drains were
laid many years ago and in many cases they have sunk, so that they are lower in
the middle than at the outlet, and consequently always full of sewage. In many
cases the pipes were broken, or the joints were not watertight, and sewage escapes
into the surrounding soil. There are no ventilating shafts, or inspection chambers
to these drains, and in many cases I found that sinks inside the houses were
directly connected to the drains thus admitting sewer gas to the houses.