London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Finsbury 1902

Report on the public health of 1902

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119
delivered, contained only 13. This is the purest water in London.
An examination of the Tables of the average composition,
chemical and bacteriological, of the London Water Supply as
a whole proves that the quality is excellent, and that the high
standard of previous years was well maintained during 1902.
Sir W. Crookes and Professor Dewar, reporting for 1902,
state :—
" The longer our experience of the bacteriological method,
" as applied to the analysis of the filtered supply, and the
" wider its application, the more we are convinced of its
" primary importance as a safeguard to the public. It
" enables us to define in a much more delicate way than is
" possible by chemical analysis what is an efficiently filtered
" water, and thereby enables the chemist to warn the
" engineer the moment any one of his filters shows signs of
" defective working. Whether the supply as regards the
" organic matter in solution varies more or less according to
" the season of the year, is of relatively small moment as
" compared with the knowledge that the microbic impurity
" is reduced to a minimum. . . . The standard of
" general organic purity during the past year, as defined by
" chemical methods, has been maintained."
The wells existing in the Borough, which are still used, are as
follows :—
1. Richmond Street (25).—This is an artesian well, about
400 feet deep. The water is used for the purpose of supplying
a gas engine only. The domestic supply is derived from the
New River Company.
2. Bunhill Row (No. 125).—This place is used by a firm
of engineers and artesian well-borers. They have an artesian
well about 450 feet deep and use the water for all purposes, not
having any other supply.
3. Cowpek Street (Nos. 7 and 8).—There is a well here
which is dug for a depth of about 80 feet, and then bored for a