View report page

REPORT.
To the Board of Works for Hackney District.
Gentlemen,
During last quarter I have been much engaged in making
house to house visitations of the localities in which epidemic diseases have
appeared, also in examining the places in which I expected an outbreak of
disease, and in adopting such preventive measures as I deemed advisable.
In consequence of such visitations extensive drainage works have been
performed, numerous cesspools emptied ; also many dilapidated and filthy
houses repaired and purified. The following are the localities in which
the chief part of these works have been done, viz. in Exmouth Place,
East Street, North Street, Barclay Place, Union Street, Pullen's Place,
Grove Lane, Lawrence Buildings, Jerusalem Gardens, Margaret Street,
John's Place, Bennett's Court, Tryon's Court, Fairy Street, Caroline Place,
Bowling.Green Street, Stapleton's Buildings, William Street, and Orchard
Street. In most of these places a low form of fever or diarrhoea has prevailed
to a rather large extent, but the majority of the cases were slight in
character as shown by comparing the mortality from these diseases during
this with that of the corresponding quarter last year. In 1856, 10 deaths
occurred from diarrhœa, and 15 from typhus, against 4 from diarrhoea,
and 9 from typhus, in 1857 ; which is a most satisfactory result, and shows
the great influence exercised on the mortality from these diseases by
proper sanitary measures.
It must not be inferred from this statement that the District in general
is in a proper state, or that additional sanitary works are not required, for,
on the contrary, a very large proportion of the poorer and very many of the
richer localities are without efficient drainage, and very many causes of
disease consequently exist. I mean merely to assert that an efficient