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63
The short supply continued until the 10th of September, when
a notice was issued by the Company, informing the public the
constant supply would be reverted to the following week. The short
supply lasted about two months, and from many enquiries made in
the district, I found the average daily duration of supply available
to the consumer was about four hours.
Dr. Ballard, in his classical report to the Local Government
Board on summer diarrhoea, points out amongst other things that
one of its causes is undoubtedly uncleanliness of dwellings ; another,
sewer emanations.
It is unnecessary to point out how the above conditions could
be intensified by a short supply of water; it is obvious.
I have no doubt the scarcity of water in the summers of 1895
and 1896 had the effects of increasing drain and sewer effluvia, and
leading in some parts to uncleanliness of dwellings; of what extent
I am unable to say, but visits to different parts of the district
confirmed the impression that the extent was considerable.
I am confident that the lack of water led to an increase of
gastro.intestinal disease in the district, over and above what is
generally considered normal when the mean temperature has been
equal to that of the above summers.
A study of the annexed table will show that there has been an
unusually excessive and unequal incidence of diarrhoea in Hackney,
compared with all London, in the third quarter of the years 1895 and
1896. Whereas during the same quarters of the years 1892.3 and 4
the diarrhoea rate in Hackney was not above the London rate; in
the years 1895.6 the incidence was altered; in the former year it
rose 20% higher than the London rate, in the latter year 39 %.
There is no reason to my knowledge why the mortality from
summer diarrhoea which has been almost uniformly equal to the
London rate should be suddenly changed to one of excess, unless it
be due to the introduction of some factor capable of giving rise to