View report page

9
much pleased with the kindness and attention shown to the patients,
and with the quality of the food and reported that I could not suggest
any sanitary improvement of the premises."
The London Orphan Asylum. As regards this institution, I stated
"That I found it very clean, well regulated, and well ventilated, except
the girls' bed-room, No. 1, which requires more wooden ventilators,
and the boys' play-room, which demands some means for passing
through it a direct current of air." Not one of the rooms was overcrowded,
for although the beds were very close together, the proper
amount of air is present from the height of the rooms being considerable
(15 feet 8 to 10 inches). The day and school-room, as also the day
and sick wards of the infirmary, were sufficiently large for the number
of children occupying them. The provisions were very good, and the
meat of the best quality. The whole arrangements for general, moral,
and educational purposes, reflect the greatest praise on those having
the management, and on those employed in carrying out their
orders.
The sanitay regulations in the Refuge for Destitute Females,
which contains 70 inmates, were at the date of my visit, decidedly
good, and the provisions unobjectionable, but the yard was imperfectly
drained. The small Refuge for Deaf and Dumb Young Women
was not overcrowded, nor were their sanitary arrangements defective.
The Matron informed me that part of the expenses of this establishment
was obtained by dress-making and glove-cleaning. The other
public establishments I have visited do not require any special
mention.
During the Autumn of last year, I inspected fifty-two slaughterhouses,
in accordance with the Act of Parliament. In my report on
this subject, the following statement occurs:— "The necessity for some
regular and efficient supervision of the slaughter-houses in this district,
has been demonstrated by the inspection just completed, for out of fiftytwo,
there were only eight which did not require some alterations
or improvements; and there are four which are quite unfit for
the purpose. There is a great want of ventilation in four, and also a
total absence of drainage in four the surface drainage is defective in
twenty-two instances, giving rise to offensive 6mells in several cases,
gratings are required to prevent the offal from passing into the drains,
and in the majority there are no proper stink-traps." In all but three
cases the whole of the defects were made good.
I now purpose presenting to you an account of the progress of
disease, in your district during the past year, I regret being unable to
point out the causes of death, except from a few individual diseases,
from not having been supplied with a copy of the morcuary registers.
This defect has been remedied by the Registrar-General of Births and
Deaths forwarding weekly to each medical officer of health, the returns
furnished to him by the District Registrars. This boon will be of the
utmost importance in sanitary matters. I purpose, after considering
the mortality generally, to tabulate the deaths from epidemic diseases
in Hackney and other districts of the Metropolis.
The total mortality in Hackney during the year was 1361, against
1449 in 1855 and the total deaths in London during 1856 was