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give a certificate of death, who alleged as a reason that they
wished to make a post-mortem examination. They had attended
the deceased for about a year, and admitted that he had disease
of the heart; but they were anxious, for the sake of science,
to pursue their investigations further. On the other hand,
there was danger to the public health, as the widow and child
lived in the same room with the dead body. The Registrar,
therefore, of the District gave a certificate of death upon
his own responsibility, and the body was buried.
Cowell's and Betts's Slaughter-houses, Knightsbridge.—
A complaint was made by a physician of bad smells from
these places coming in at the back windows of the his house
when open for ventilation on a particular day, and generally
during hot weather; therefore your Medical Officers, Inspector
of Nuisances, and the Sanitary Committee visited the premises,
but failed to detect any cause for complaint. One of
the slaughter-houses (Bett's) has already been the subject
of litigation, and the decision of the magistrate was printed in
No. XXXIV., page 13. The difficulties in abolishing them
consist in their having existed a long time before the neighbouring
houses were built, in the fact that smells come from
a sewer ventilator and numerous dung-pits close by, and
likewise in the fact that the owners have spared no expense
in carrying out the suggestions of your Medical Officer, and
keep them perfectly clean. Dr. Druitt visited the slaughterhouses,
and sent the following letter to Dr. Aldis:—
St. George, Hanover Square,
Board Room, Mount Street, London, W.
11th May, 1866.
Dear Sir,
I beg to tell you that I this day inspected the
premises of Mr. Betts and of Mr. Cowell, the butchers, of
Knightsbridge. I will not trouble you with a detailed description
of them, for you are perfectly acquainted with