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32
You will notice, that but little has been done to improve the
ventilation of dwellings, but it is without doubt all important, that
persons occupying in hundreds of instances but one room both for
living and sleeping, should have every facility afforded them for
proper ventilation. Thorough ventilation cannot in many cases be
possible, on account of houses abutting on each other, and on account
of the property immediately adjoining belonging to different owners,
still we may effect numerous improvements by causing the top sashes
to be made to open, by introducing valves, or perforated zinc
plates, &c., for ventilation has reference more particularly to the
facilities of changing the renewing air, as often as it becomes charged
with unwholesome and poisonous matter. In Workhouses, Barracks,
&c., about 500 cubic feet of air is calculated for each
individual, whereas in many of our Courts the amount varies from
160 to 200 c. f.
I forbear at present dwelling upon the great necessity there exists
of improving the moral and social condition of the poor, and of providing
Baths and Wash-houses; though I believe that the cause of
various Epidemic Diseases spontaneously appearing in the dwellings
of the better classes, may at times be traced to the fact, that the
Laundress resides in some locality in which these diseases are rife,
when we can easily understand that the washing may become impregnated
with the material of the disease, especially when dried, &.,
in their own close confined rooms.
From our proximity to the Serpentine, many of our poor bathe
during the season, in what we may term that vast cesspool; the
necessity of this would be somewhat remedied, by establishing Public
Baths, supposing the price of admission could be sufficiently reduced.
I am not in a position to speak of the pernicious influence of these
emanations from the Thames, but I think efficient measures should be
adopted for the proper ventilation of the Main Sewers; so long as
openings exist in our roads, so surely must certain offensive effluvia
arise from decomposing refuse matter passing along, be diffused in
the atmosphere, and tend to produce disease in any habitations
situated near them, and as these openings must to a certain extent
always exist, until some better plan be devised, so long must the
public health suffer. The difficulty does not appear to me to be very
great, if high shafts were erected, or tall chimneys taken advantage
of, the offensive gases might easily be made to pass through them,
when by the well-known law of diffusion of gases, the emanations
would be so diluted, that little or no injury would take place.
A better plan than this would be, to first pass these gases through the
furnace, when no injury to health could occur.
I have the honor to remain,
Gentlemen,
Your faithful Servant,
FRANCIS GODRICH,
Medical Officer of Health.