View report page

10
REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
MANUFACTORIES.
The district of Clerkenwell contains many of these which are great
nuisances, as well as being injurious to health, from the processes adopted
rendering the atmosphere impure. Several of them have lately been introduced
into the neighbourhood, which should not have been allowed. Manufactories
are generally situated in the poor parts of neighbourhoods where land is
cheap ; they bring an extra number of poor into the neighbourhood, by which
the air is polluted ; but they pollute it still further by the large quantity of
smoke sent off', the hurtful fumes evolved in many of the processes, and by the
large amount of noxious residual matters of the manufacture which are not
properly disposed of. One of the most abominable manufacturing places,
exceeding anything that the imagination could picture, existed until very
recently in Allen-street, Goswell-street, being known as Bailey's-yard.
Here, the foetid guts of oxen, &c., were brought ; their foul contents poured
at once into the sewer, without the addition of water, the gut3 macerated in
water, and the stinking skins hung up to dry. The whole yard was filled
with portions of foul matter, larger quantities of which were thrown upon a
dung-heap exposed to the sun ; the ground was saturated with the filth ;
myriads of blow-flies were hovering over the whole, and the stench evolved
was truly frightful. The foul matters remaining in the sewer gave off the
same noxious effluvia as those left in the yard; these escaped at all the gullyholes
of the surrounding neighbourhood, to the intense annoyance of the
inhabitants, who were mostly poor. But what was the consequence—or, if
you please, call it a coincidence ? Although it did not occur in other parts of
the district, here abounded cholera, low fevers, and death ! This abomination
was twice brought before the Police Court, but the influence of the
magistrate in no way checked it. It was only got rid of by a firm threat of
indictment. And here I may perhaps be allowed to remark upon the result
of bringing such a case as this before magistrates, in no way desiring to lead
to the belief that these valuable public officers do not conscientiously perform
their difficult and responsible duties; but those only who are acquainted with
the exact circumstances of these individual cases can judge of the extent to
which the full power of the law should be exerted in order to suppress the
evils connected with them. Now here was a terrible nuisance, destroying the
comfort and happiness of a neighbourhood—I avoid the question of injurious
to health, because it is a very difficult thing to prove direct injury to the
health of an individual or individuals in such a case, and because the law is
so clear that what is simply a nuisance shall be done away with. An array
of witnesses—neighbouring residents, inspectors, and medical officers—testified
to the truth of the abomination and its probable injury to health ;
repeated applications had been made to the occupier of the premises to adopt
some decisive measures for the prevention of the nuisance, but in vain, by the
authorized inspectors. Here, then, was a clear case in which injury had been
done to the neighbours, and the nature of the business was such that the
nuisance was constant, and not occasional or accidental. And what was the
punishment ? A threat of infliction of a penalty if the filth was not removed
within a certain number of days. This threat caused the removal of the filth,
but not of the nuisance, for the whole was as bad as before in a few days. A
second summons was taken out. It was shown that the premises had been in