[Report 1920] / Medical Officer of Health, Wisbech U.D.C. / Borough.

  • Wisbech (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1920
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1920] / Medical Officer of Health, Wisbech U.D.C. / Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/20
    The Town Planning Act becomes more important each year, many repairs, and such like smaller matters have been carried out ; and it is gratifying to note, that in spite of the enormous difficulties of building, and the enhanced cost of labour you are endeavouring to provide more dwellings, and so relieve the congestion in the houses, and the inevitable overcrowding. Sanitary Inspection of the District. As usual, during the year, very many visits of inspection have been made to the various factories, buildings and schools, and we have found ready willingness in getting remedied nuisances, defects of such like. Taken as a whole, the town has been kept cleanly, the scavenging well looked after, and refuse quickly removed. I am glad to note that some improvement has been made in the attention to the careless throwing about of refuse on Market days, but if more care is still exercised, an enormous amount of work, would be saved in the cleansing of the Market Place and Streets, and a much more sanitary and cleanly appearance would result ; the destruction of street and other refuse at the Pumping Station adds much to the safety and health of the inhabitants. Although, the health of the people is not affected thereby ; may I point out to you, that the comfort of the populous would be enormously added to, and it would be greatly appreciated if a few pilot lights were used and kept alight during the long nights of the year, at various corners of chief street and thoroughfares. Food Supply. The general supply has been increasingly satifactory, food stuffs have been plentiful both as regards, meats, fish, and such like ; the milk supply, has been better, but a larger quantity is still needed, as so much depends upon this, in the feeding of Infants and Invalid people ; in connection with this, I believe that much good is being done at the Children’s Welfare, which is the means of providing mothers with artificial foods, who find so great a difficulty m obtaining an adequate milk supply. It is highly satisfactory to note, that comparatively very little food, has had to be condemned during the past year. As yet, it has not been been found desirable to limit the Housing Accomodation, by closing the worst cottages, although many of the smaller dwellings, need much doing to them, still great improvements has been made in some of the yards, with obvious benefit to the inhabitants of these parts, and I would ask landlords to do much more than they have been doing, in having their houses repaired and put in a better state, to save their being condemned and closed ; which must inevitably follow, if this is not done. I am again able to report, that the Sanitary requirements, are being well looked after, in the various factories in the town, where there are now considerable numbers of workpeople employed ; the main work in these consists in the manufacture of fruit, and all that is connected in dealing with this most valuable source of food production ; no deletarious trade or work is carried on, affecting the health of the work people, such as flock making and such like, in the district.