Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Annual report on the health, sanitary condition, &c., &c., of the Parish of St. Mary Abbotts, Kensington for the year, 1899
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lation, and the medical officer desired to know whether, in my
opinion, the nuisance was such as to justify an application to
Parliament for such power? I replied in the affirmative.
The subject of nuisance in connection with the storage,
and the conveyance through streets, of offensive matter has
been dealt with in these reports on various occasions, and was
specially reported on in 1887, in connection with a communication
received from the late Metropolitan Board of Works,
inquiring (inter alia)—
"Whether nuisance is experienced in the district in the collection of offensive
material, and in its conveyance through the streets, and if so, the nature
and extent of the nuisance?"
My report on the subject (No. 12, November 17th, 1887,
page 127) was forwarded by your Vestry to the Board, together
with a letter intimating that—
"Nuisance is experienced . . . in the storage and in the collection of
offensive material, and in its conveyance through the streets. The
nuisance (it was said) is due to stench, and is co-extensive with the trades
which give rise to the production of refuse of an offensive nature."
It was further stated that the provisions of the then
existing Acts were inadequate to the purpose of preventing
nuisance, and that additional powers were necessary. My
report concluded with the expression of a hope that the Board
would—
"Come to the conclusion, at which your Vestry had long since arrived, that
the matter can be dealt with, effectively, only by bye-laws entailing an
adequate and fixed penalty for offences—bye-laws made by the Board
. . . . the carrying out of which should be entrusted to the local sanitary
authorities. Such bye-laws (I added) with respect to offensive
substances of animal origin, should make provision with regard—
(1). To storage vessels, which should be of metal, impervious, and
covered;
(2). To removal in iron lank vans; but it would be better to provide for
the removal of the storage vessels themselves;
(3). To time of daily removal, in the evening; and,
(4). To measures for the disposal of the refuse."