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(3) Diphtheria causes a large proportion of the deaths
from zymotic disease, and the existing fever hospital
accommodation is inadequate to receive all cases;
an extension of the hospital is now in hand.
(4) Diphtheria is most prevalent and most fatal at Forest
Gate (including Forest Gate, Park, and Upton
Wards), although this is a new district with good
roads, gardens, and house drainage almost entirely
carried out under the supervision of the Town
Council's Inspectors. Upon the occurrence of
disease the house drains are almost uniformly found
to be in good order.
(5) With such general conditions as tend to check disease
some special cause of such disease must exist.
(6) Such cause is to be found in the offensive stench from
the sewer gratings in the roadways, the foul smells
being worst in the parts of the district suffering
most from diphtheria.
(7) The nuisance recurs annually, and its return is always
attended by increased diphtheria and other zymotic
disease.
(8) Complaints have been made to the Town Council, but
nothing is done beyond occasional flushing and use
of disinfectants, which do not lessen the nuisance
and danger to health.
(9) The majority of the Town Council assert that
diphtheria is the result of what they term
"landlordism," i.e., of landlords neglect to keep
their property in a sanitary state, and this is
asserted notwithstanding the facts contained in
Paragraph 4 above.