London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Paddington 1897
Report on vital statistics and sanitary work for the year 1897
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the cause of disease, whose presence in a given sample
might be expected by reason of the occurrence of
epidemic disease. Very little is at present known of
those microbes which may be called indigenous to
water supplies, or of the significance of their presence.
Some waters, such as those derived from deep wells,
are entirely free from microbes.
For some time past, Sir Edward Frankland, the
Water Examiner, has collated the gaugings of the
volume of water flowing through the bed of the
Thames, and the number of microbes present in each
c.c. of water at the time of the gauging. His observations
show that the microbes are most numerous in
flood times. He has also enumerated the microbes
present in the water at various stages of settlement
and filtration, and when it is Dumped iuto the mains.
The purification (quâ micro-organic life) effected by the two Companies supplying the Parish last year was as follows:—
| 1897. | West Middlesex. | Grand Junction. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amount of storage, days' supply | 19.4 | 3.4 | |
| Average thickness of sand on filters, in feet | 2.76 | 2.25 | |
| Average rate of filtration, gall, per sq. ft per hour | 1.33 | 1.8 | |
| Percentage of microbes removed. | Maximum | 99.89 | 99.92 |
| Minimum | 97.52 | 89.33 | |
| Average | 99.40 | 98.46 | |
Having regard to the observation of the excess of
microbes in the river water during flood time, it is
satisfactory to note that the West Middlesex Company
have already increased their storage capacity from 5.6