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Officers and other Officials of the L.C.C.; and, in November, I
arranged a meeting between them and a deputation from you, at
Spring Gardens, when the matter was fully discussed. Section
88 of the aforesaid Act ordains that:—"Every sanitary authority
shall provide a fit and proper place for the reception of dead
bodies before interment," so that they may not become a nuisance.
Section 90 enacts that "Any Sanitary Authority may, and, if
required by the County Council, shall, provide and maintain a
proper building for the reception of dead bodies during the time
required to conduct a post mortem examination ordered by the
Coroner." Also that "Any such building may be provided in
connection with a mortuary." Section 92 enacts further that:—
"The County Council shall provide and maintain proper accommodation
for holding of inquests," which may be in connection
with the mortuary and post mortem room. The need for such a
building, in Eltham, does not appear to be very urgent, as,
according to the returns furnished to me by the Registrar,
during the three years I have been Medical Officer of Health, the
average number of inquests has been two per annum, and of postmortem
examinations less than one (see table). Still I suppose
the law must be complied with, and I beg to suggest that the
test solution of the difficulty would be for the parishes of Lee
and Eltham to join together and erect a building somewhere
between the two. This arrangement would satisfy the Acts,
I am informed, as it only appears to require that one such
building shall be provided by a Sanitary Authority. The County
Council might then have their Coroner's Court in the same
building, for which they would pay rent; and I understand that
they are prepared to lend money for the work if necessary.
Lee certainly has a room for the purpose, but it is at the
Cemetery, at Hither Green, a long way from the centre of the
parish and must be very inconvenient for Jurors.