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9
Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health—1877—8.
Parish of Saint George' the Martnr, Southwark.
ANNUAL REPORT
MEDICAL TO THE VESTRY
by the
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH.
FOR THE YEAR ENDING LADY DAY, 1878.
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen,
As far as Government has been concerned, words rather than deeds have characterised
year that is past, looked at from a sanitary point of view. Two important speeches
are made; one, by the present Prime Minister, the other, by his predecessor, and both
which 1 will shortly notice.
The Hon. W. E. Gladstone, in his speech, expressed his hopes, that there would not
time to come, be found so great a contrast between town and country as now exists,
his hope, you have to a certain extent, endeavoured to realise, by improving the church
rd, and by planting trees in our dry, brown, dusty roads, whereby the eye may be
lighted by their presence, and shade afforded by them in the hot summer sunshine;
sides, numerous other benefits which result from them, as useful, although not so visible
d manifest. He pointed out three things which especially make towns disagreeable and
???hoalthy, namely, noxious smells, impure water, and smoke. The two first are certainly
peculiar to towns. Noxious smells exist abundantly in the country, but do not prove
usurious and evident as in towns, simply by reason of their isolation, and the abundance
air to which they are exposed: and probably there is more impure water drank in the
country than in the town; chiefly from ignorance and carelessness. The smoke nuisance
London has boon greatly diminished, and will doubtless become more and more so as
once advances, He gave a striking illustration not only of the injury, but of the
???travagance that arises from the neglect of sanitary practice. This was with reference to
spoiling and polluting our streams and rivers. He stated that "a firm of paper manufacturers,
who had previoualy to the passing of the River Pollution Act, cast their refuse
to a stream; but being compelled by the Act to discontinue this practice, they were driven
utiliso it, and thereby had saved £3000 a year." And thus it has ever been, and ever