Dr. E.P. Manby's report to the Local Government Board upon the sanitary circumstances and administration of the County Borough of West Hartlepool.

  • Manby, E. P.
Date:
1912
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Dr. E.P. Manby's report to the Local Government Board upon the sanitary circumstances and administration of the County Borough of West Hartlepool. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Sanii ary aDMINTSTRATION. The town eoimcil niiinbers 32. Meetings are held monthly. The health committee meets once a month, or oftener if necessary. The medical officer of health attends all meetings of tlie council and of the c.ommittee, if health matters are under discussion. Most of the powers usually possessed by local authorities through byelaws are conferred upon the Town Council of West Hartlepool by the West Hartlepool Extension and Improvement Act, 1870, and by the West Hai;^lepool Orders of 1878, 1879, 1880 and 1883. For the guidance of persons interested the town council have issued the provisions of the Act in regard to the erection of buildings, &c., in the form in which building byelaws are usually ])rinted. In addition the council possess byelaws relating to common lodging houses, to the ].)ublic abattoir, to the market, to sanitary conveniences, and to spitting, <S:c. Regulations under the Dairies, Cowsheds and Milkshops Order, 1885 were made in 1891. The council have adopted the Infectious Diseases (Prevention) Act, 1890, and the Public Health Acts Amendment Act, 1890, and they have put in force with the Board’s consent Parts II. to X. (except certain sections) of the Public. Health Acts Amendment Act, 1907. They admitiister the Midwives Act and the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts. In regard to the latter the Council employ a local analyst to make a number of informal analyses instead of sending all samples* to the public analyst. The disadvantages of this course of action have been brought to the town councirs notice in course of inquiry by the Board’s Inspectors of Foods, but the council still maintain the arrangement. It is alleged that it is convenient and economical of time and money, but as the public analyst lives no farther away than Darlington it is obvious that the expenditure of time in sending samples to him, and in learning the results of his examinations, cannot be of serious moment. Isolation of Infectious Cases.—The town council possess a site 8:^ acres in extent for an infectious diseases hospital, but it has never been used, cases of infectious disease, including smallpox, being sent to the hospitals of the port sanitary authority at Throston. The corporation of West Hartlepool pay 2s. 6r/. per day for each patient over 16 years of age, and U-. 9c/. for each one under that age. The port sanitary authority’s hospital for ordinary infectious diseases comprises two wooden pavilions affording accommodation for 14 to 16 patients in each, and that for smallpox is a sitnilar building containing 16 beds. The two hospital sites adjoin, and I consider that the town council of West Hartlepool are accepting a serious responsibility in continuing to send cases of smallpox there when cases of other infectious diseases are under treatment in the neighbouring building, and vice versa. An Order of the Board, dated April 30th, 1903, allows the use of the port hospital for cases from other districts until such time as sidtable provision has been made for the treatment elsewhere. The question of the sufficiency of the present accommodation at