Dr. S.W. Wheaton's report to the Local Government Board on diphtheria in the Enfield Urban District and on sanitary administration by the Urban District Council.

  • Wheaton, S. W.
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Dr. S.W. Wheaton's report to the Local Government Board on diphtheria in the Enfield Urban District and on sanitary administration by the Urban District Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    gratings, and at first was confined to the Chase Side district. In some cases the sewers are so flat that they are no -doubt in places filled with sewage, Avhich probably extends also up the house drains. But few house drains are provided with means of inspection, so that their exact condition cannot be ascertained. Where manholes have been constructed on the house drains for inspection purposes, following an outbreak of infectious disease in the house and examination of the drains, intercepting traps are provided between the house drain and the sewer, but in most cases they are absent. The house drains, on examination, are found to be jointed with clay only, badly laid, and they frequently pass under the houses, so that pollution of the subsoil by leakage of filth from them must be of frequent occurrence. The gullies in which the house drains terminate are usually outside the houses in the yards, so that effluvium from the sewers and house drains would be discharged in the open. The gully is usually properly trapped, but the junction with the drain is frequently imperfect, and the cementing or paving around the gully broken or defective, so that fluids thrown to the gully, or trickling down the side of the wall of the house, may penetrate the subsoil, thus carrying organic filth into it. The sink pipes are cut off flush with the wall of the house, so that fluids instead of discharging fairly over the centre of the gulley trickle down the side of the wall. The inspector of nuisances tells me that when the smoke test is applied to drains the smoke often enters the hou^e by forcing the gully trap and escaping up the sink pipe, owing to the proximity of the gully to the wall of the house. Water-closets are with few exceptions out of doors, so that they do not directly communicate with the interiors of houses. The soil pipes are often badly laid, with clay joints, and defective connection to the pan, so that filth may escape into the soil, or effluvium find an exit from the defective connection to the soil pipe. Another cause of fouling of the subsoil around houses is the absence of paving of the curtilage, or the defective character of such coyering. At the time of my visit many yards contained stagnant water, which was soaking into the ground owing to the absence of paving. As before mentioned, where paving is ])i’Ovided it is frequently composed of loose rubble, with a super- ficial layer of cement, which is cracked or broken so that liquid escapes into the ground. When under such circumstances house- hold refuse and filth are thrown about the yard, owing to careless habits or absence of an ashbin, the fouling of the subsoil must be very considerable. Dampness of dwellings is very marked and is due to want of spouting for the back part of the premises, de- fective or broken spouting of the main roof, the termination of down pipes at 8 or 10 feet above ground level, so that the rain- water is discharged against the wall of the house, or to raising of the ground level above the damp course. Another cause is found in the sandy crumbling bricks, which hold water, the crumbling dirt- like mortar, and the absence of pointing between the bricks. Accumulations of filth about premises are very frequent, due either to the careless habits of the people or to the absence of dust- bins or other receptacles of filth. The keeping of animals, especially poultry, in uncovered undrained enclosures adds to the