London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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St Mary (Battersea) 1890

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea]

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69
The Sanitary Staff has been actively engaged during the
year under report in the work of inspecting the houses, workshops,
factories and other premises in the district. Reference
to the Summary Table VIII will shew that the number of such
premises inspected was 12,388, being slightly fewer than in 1888
but with the result that first notices were served to remedy
defects in 1,383 instances. In about ten percent. of these cases,
viz.: in 136 instances, second notices had to be served involving
re-inspection—which in fact was necessary wherever defects
were found, in order to test the result of the first notice. Proceedings
were ordered by the Vestry in 142 instances, but its
orders were complied with before the issue of a summons in all
but twenty cases, in all of which latter magisterial orders were
obtained and the necessary works carried out.
The Table shews how varied were the defects remedied. It
will be observed that but 95 houses required disinfection in 1886
compared with 176 in 1888; and that the houses supplied with
disinfectants numbered but 487 in 1889 compared with 1,100 in
1888. This results from the great diminution in the numbers of
those attacked by infectious disease in the year under report.
The details of Sanitary operations for 1888 are included in
the table as a useful means of comparison.
Sewer The ill ventilated low level Main Sewer in York
Ventilation
Road and the Battersea Park Road, has during the
year under report been the subject of numerous complaints.
The great pressure which is always found to exist therein,
probably due to the admission of heated effluent from factories,
together with the chemical reactions which take place owing to
the different composition of such effluents ; causes its serial contents
to be forced up the tributary sewers, and the house drains
of the houses in the adjacent streets, inmanycasesovercomingthe
water seals of the gullies and traps and manifesting the presence
of the sulphur compounds which result from the decomposition of
human excreta by the blackening of the painted wood work of
the doors and windows. This is evidence of defective ventilation
of the sewer, and could be easily remedied by the provision