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25
occupied. The whole of the drains have been taken up and
relaid throughout the house, and the saturated earth removed.
No. 62, Upper Ebury Street. A very offensive common
privy and cesspool, with no cover to the ash-pit. The
cesspool has been emptied and filled up, a new watercloset
erected, dust-pit covered, and inlets to the drains
trapped. The following statement is connected with the
above premises.
In the Registrar General's weekly return, ending July
26th, the death of a woman is recorded, " as having been
caused by fever, which was directly attributed to the
inhaling of the stench of the river during a short excursion
between Pimlico and London Bridge." The person
having died in Belgravia, Dr. Aldis was induced to ascertain
with precision the particulars of the case, which was one of
sanitary as well as scientific interest. Although the patient's
dwelling was supposed to be free from any nuisance by one
or two of the occupiers, nevertheless he found a very offensive
common privy, with a cesspool in the back yard, and the
smell extending from it into the passage of the house. The
ash-pit had no cover, and a complaint was made of an occasional
smell from the drain under the front kitchen.
The deceased was forty years of age, her mode of life said
to be steady, and the previous state of health very good.
The day of her excursion on the river was Thursday, June
24th. Before and after arriving at home, she complained
of the dreadful smell from the Thames, " that it had got
into her throat," and soon afterwards experienced faintness,
nausea, vomiting, with shivering at night, followed by
heat.
Having been in bed some days with these symptoms, she
applied for medical relief, July 1st, suffering from low fever.
She had been delivered on May 26th, in the back room of