[Report 1900] / Medical Officer of Health, Wigan R.D.C.

  • Wigan (England). Rural District Council.
Date:
1900
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1900] / Medical Officer of Health, Wigan R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    8/16
    Hospital Accommodation is provided only for Smallpox cases. No case has occniTed during the year. Disinfection, This I consider to be one of the most important of the Nuisance Inspectors’duties, and I have asked them in future to personally undertake and supervise all cases requiring it. The method employed is by means of sulphur fumes generated by burning sulphur. Though perhaps not perfc^ctly safe, I have always found it efficient when thoroughly carried out, and the fumes are given a sufficient length of time to effect their purpose. House Accommodation. This is generally good. A considerable amount of new property is being erected in the Appley Bridge district, the portion of your district which I think is growing the most. Boater Stipply. Haigh, Shevington, and Parbold have good and sufficient supplies. Wrightington, 'Worthington, and Dalton have no public supply, and though most of the farms and houses in these districts have wells, I find that most of the water is bad, by reason either of faulty construction of the wells, or from the nature of the surroundings; in fact it ajjpears that any situation is considered right if there is water, and any hole good enough to store it in. This question is a serious one, and I shall have to keep this matter constantly under your notice. The Hill Dale portion of the Wrightington district is sadly in want of a supply, and being one of the mildest and prettiest portions of your district would in my opinion rapidly grow in favour, both as a residential part, and with those in search of health if there were a public water supply. There is undoubtedly jdenty of rvater in the district, but it requires stoi'ing, and distributing. Worthington is also badly off in tliis respect, ajid what makes its position appear woi’se is the fact that the pipe track of the Thirlraere supply runs through the middle of the township and yet the inhabitants aie not allowed to have the benefit of it. Dalton is not so badly off as Woithington and Wrightington; the po])ulation is small and very scattered, but they too feel the shortness of water after a period of drought. Scavenging is carried out by contract in the greater portion of the district, and though fairly well done in most cases, I am of opinion that this irortion of the Council’s duties requires inoi'c supervision. Besides middens there are many cesspools, and these require periodical inspection, and emptying, other¬ wise they become a serious menace to health. Refuse Disposal therefore is distributed on agricultui'al land, and if great care is not taken in itg disjrosal it becomes a very great source of danger to the vmter in some of the districts whei'o water has to be obtained from wells. Seivage Disposal. There is no system of sewerage in the district, the sewage being collected in cesspools, the oveiffow running on the land or iirto open ditches. Plans were ])i'epared arrd submitted for the sewering of the greater portion of the districts, together with the treatment of the sewage, but unfortunately, they failed to obtain the sanction of the Local Government Boai’d, and the matter is at jiresent in abeyance, but I hope ultimately a better way out of the difficulty will be found. Dairies, Cowsheds, and Milk Shops. I regret that the Council did not see its way to adojit the recent Act relative to these. Slaughter House. There is only one, and it is clean and well kept.
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