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90
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
An examination of these Tables shows that with regard to
the Lambeth Company's water on one occasion it was described
as bad, on another very unsatisfactory, on another satisfactory, on
six occasions indifferent, on one less impure, and only on two
occasions was the water stated to be good.
With regard to the Southwark and Vauxhall Company's
water, on two occasions the quality was stated to be unsatisfactory,
on three indifferent, on two fair, and on five occasions the water
was of good quality.
The Lambeth Company's water was worst in the months of
May, June, October, and November; and the Southwark and
Vauxhall Company's in the months of June, October, November,
and December.
The polluted condition of the water was due to the heavy
rainfall, and the consequent inability of the filters to remove all
the suspended matter.
The attention of the Public Health Committee was called to
the quality of the water supplied, and analyses were made by
the Public Analyst to the Borough, and his analyses also showed
that the quality of the water was very unsatisfactory.
The pollution was, judging from the analyses made by the
Public Analyst and also taking into account the analyses of the
Water Examiner, due to pollution by vegetable organic matter,
and was not necessarily injurious to health.
Cases of illness due to the water did, however, occur, but this
was chiefly owing to the want of cleansing of the cisterns from
which the drinking water was taken.
The suspended matter deposited at the bottom of the cisterns,
if of considerable amount, was in some instances carried into the
supply pipe, and this caused Diarrhoea and digestive troubles,
which ceased as soon as the cisterns were properly cleansed.
One case of local contamination of the water supply, the
cause of which was only a matter of conjecture, occurred in the beginning
of the year and suspicions were directed to the water, as
no other cause of several cases of Enteric Fever could be ascertained.