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The following report, presented by Dr. Bruce to the Southwark
Board of Guardians, appeared in the "Camberwell and Peckham
Times," dated October 22nd:—
Dear Sir,—l beg to bring to your notice the nuisance occasioned by the large
rubbish heaps which are kept between the boundary walls of the Infirmary and the
railway line. When the wind is in a favourable quarter most offensive smells are
blown towards the wards. Under the same condition foul black smoke envelopes
the grounds and penetrates the wards during the periodic burnings which are
carried out. With the wind at all high, paper and dust of all kinds is carried into
the Infirmary grounds and buildings. I submit that these heaps constitute a
nuisance, and are distinctly detrimental to the health of the inmates, and appeal to
you to use your powers to put a stop to them.
With regard to the distances from the Infirmary to the boundary wall between
it and the siding, they are as follows :—
From the wall to the laundry, where women work and two of the staff sleep,, is
25 feet at about its centre. From the wall to the nearest ward is 55 yards. The
distance from the wall to the trucks I do not know, but it certainly does not exceed
10 yards at the west end. The amount of refuse removed by the Borough Council
from the Infirmary never amounts, at the outside, to two loads a week ; the average
number dealt with at the siding being for this year 146. All the cases of enteritis
reported to the Committee have been, as I have already explicitly stated, cases which
developed the disease in the Infirmary.
With regard to the reports of the Local Government Board Inspector and the
Medical Officer of Health, the former states that the evidence does not
suffice to show that the cases of enteritis were caused by the refuse ....
The latter states " that because the handling of dust takes place near
an institution where children have been attacked by enteritis it is by no means
necessarily a case of cause and effect."
It is preposterous to read either of these guarded statements as an expression of
the opinion that cases are not caused by the refuse, and still more preposterous to
take them as actual proof that the dust does not give rise to disease.
On the other hand, the Local Government Inspector states that the arrangements
are unsatisfactory, and at times give rise to a nuisance. This absolutely
confirms and justifies my reports.
Further, the Medical Officer of Health states that the farthest distance he has
ever detected the smell of dust was 85 paces from the carts, when a very strong wind
was blowing and work in active progress. But the work is in active progress every
week day, and strong northerly winds have been prevalent, while the distance stated
is sufficient to carry the smell right into the wards.
This, therefore, again confirms my reports as to the nuisance, and only
strengthens me in my firm belief that the refuse is the cause of the outbreak
of enteritis and the resulting deaths.
(Signed) H. W. BRUCE.
By order of the Borough Council, the matter was further gone
into and a report made on the Infirmary, the dust siding, and
the cases of enteritis, with the co-operation of Dr. Cautley, senior
physician to the Belgrave Hospital, but as further proceedings are
not unlikely, I will not at this step deal with the subject. But I
would ask that anyone who is interested in the accusation to
go and see the East Dulwich siding himself, and not swallow
anything and everything that is told him or that he reads in the
papers. •
It should also be borne in mind that the Infirmary was built in
proximity to the siding, which then, as now, was a goods siding, and
where traffic of all sorts, including the removal of manure, was
and is dealt with.