[Report 1921] / Medical Officer of Health, County Council of the Palatine of Chester / Cheshire County Council.

  • Cheshire County Council
Date:
1921
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1921] / Medical Officer of Health, County Council of the Palatine of Chester / Cheshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Winsforr] Urhan District. was endemic), and the Victoria Teri'ace, where the enteric case occurred last year. Progress on these lines must be recognised to be more dithcult, however, to negotiate with owners than when water carriage can be pressed whole-heai tedly. When the Inspector can point out to an owner that he can ^scrap’ his stinking privy at the bottom of the garden, install a good w.c. adjacent to the back kitchen with a coal house adjoining, improve the wash house, lay down an impervious yai-d, and generally convert a tumble-down hovel into a respectable artizan’s dwelling, commanding a higher rent, then the owner is tempted to agree. The mere conversion of a privy to a ])ail does not make the same appeal to him, and, even if he agiee to do it. the general improvement of the property does not eventuate. The conservancy system is not, however, to be dispai-aged. If properly managed it is admirably suited to smallei’ houses in open neighbourhoods when surrounded b}’ gardens in which the contents of the earth closets can be systematically and frequently used as manure. The idea of digging a deep hole and burying the stuff deep is a dangerous fallacy. That method contaminates the sub-soil. The excreta should receive shallow burial in cultivated soil at frequent intervals. In other words it should be used almost as a gardener would use a mulch of horse manure, but with a light coating of soil. The reason for this is that the soil acts as both filter and disin- fectant. Incidentally the soil, though spoiled by stale n ight- soil, is greatly enriched by fresh night-soil applied in this way. Housing.—Number of new houses erected during the year ; (a) Total—II. (b) As part of a Miinicipal Housing Scheme—10. Total number of dwelling-houses inspected for housing defects (.under Public Health or Housing Acts')—44. Number of dwelling-houses which weie inspected and recorded under the Housing (Inspection of District) Regulations, 1910—Nil. Number of dwelling-houses found to be in a state so dangerous or injurious to health as to be unfit for human habitation—Nil.