Remarks by the Medical Officer of Health, Glasgow, on 'Report by Kilwinning Local Authority to the Board of Supervision', in reference to outbreak of enteric fever in Glasgow, and the sanitary condition of dairy farms.

  • Russell, James Burn, 1837-1904.
Date:
1885
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Remarks by the Medical Officer of Health, Glasgow, on 'Report by Kilwinning Local Authority to the Board of Supervision', in reference to outbreak of enteric fever in Glasgow, and the sanitary condition of dairy farms. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    ' A case involving sucli serious conseqiiences having occurred ' without the knowledge of the Local Authority, the committee *' ' resolve to adopt such measures as will prevent such a tiling *' ' occurring in future ; and for this purpose they agree that this ' business should be specially taken up at the monthly meeting 'to be held on Monday evening, the 14th inst., the members ' being impressed with the necessity of giving instant and serious * attention to this matter. ' The clerk is instructed to forward a copy of this minute to the ' Board of Supervision. ' The clerk is also instructed to write the Clerk of Supply ' asking to be favoured with a list of the dairies registered in this 'parish.' It is remarkable that the same excuse of ignorance of the exis- tence of fever was pled by the Local Authority of Kilwinning in 1881 as in 1884. Still in 1881 the Local Authority of Kilwinning professed that they were impressed with the necessity of giving instant and serious attention to this matter, and resolved to adopt such measures as will prevent such a thing occurring in future. But what has been the practical result ? Let the judicious and fii-m Local Authority themselves answer in the following description of this same farm as they found it on 18th October, 1884 :— Old Mains (J. Nairn).—The well, on lohich is a 2JU77ip, is situated immediately behind byre, and is supplied from surface drain from oieighbouring field. It is dry in summer, and then water has to be carted from a quarry hole about a quarter of a mile distant. Milk is only sold in winter; cheese-making being carried on during the rest of the year. The whole circumstances of the imter-supply are not free from sus2ncion. The fact is the Board of Supervision, very much through necessity, does not deal with such complaints in an effective way. There is no use writing letters, asking reports, forwarding reports for remarks, and all this fruitless'stream of official correspondence. A local enquiry held by a competent officer of the Board such as would have been ordered in England in circumstances not half so grave as the poisoning of a city, would sweep aside all specious excuses and uncover the facts; but the Board has no such officers on its staff. Dr. Littlejohn is overworked and underpaid. The Poor Law Inspectors are absorbed in their special duties. It is pinched and starved in its resources, and instead of taking
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