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26
a detour of over two miles, involving delay at the level railway
crossings for ten minutes at a time. In the course of my duties as
Police Surgeon, I frequently have to pass from my house to the
police station, a matter of three minutes' walk. In time of flood
it may be half an hour's drive. I have laid stress, in referring to
this matter, on the mere fact of physical inconvenience. But there
is no doubt at all that the tendency to, and, in fact, the actual
incidence of, diphtheria and throat affections generally in this
district is, at the present time, greatest in the low-lying parts,
which are most subject to flooding and wherein the ground water
is at all times relatively higher than in other parts of Barnes.
This fact was singularly exemplified during 1910, in the course
of the small outbreak alluded to in another section of this report.
It is convenient here to refer briefly to one or two related
matters. The Surveyor, and Inspector of Nuisances reported,
early in the year, on the condition of the various urinals in the
district belonging to public-houses and opening on public thoroughfares.
We had known for a long time that nearly all these places
were in an unsatisfactory condition, but had found from experience
that notices to the landlords were apt to result in closure, so that,
in the upshot, there was no gain in the direction of either decency
or inoffensiveness.
As too the question of constructing public underground
conveniences had been for many years under consideration, without
progress being made, it had been thought wiser to wait before
possibly aggravating the undesirable state of things known to exist.
The Surveyor and Inspector, however, in their report, with
which I was in complete agreement, pointed out that arrangements
might be made with certain of the owners, the Council putting
the structural conditions right and the lessees assuming responsibility
for maintenance.