Report of the Health of London Association on the sanitary condition of the metropolis; : being a digest of the information contained in the replies returned to three thousand lists of queries, which were circulated amongst clergymen, medical men, solicitors, surveyors, architects, engineers, parochial officers, and the public.

  • Health of Towns Association (London, England)
Date:
1847
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Health of London Association on the sanitary condition of the metropolis; : being a digest of the information contained in the replies returned to three thousand lists of queries, which were circulated amongst clergymen, medical men, solicitors, surveyors, architects, engineers, parochial officers, and the public. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/70 (page 17)
    [40 In your neighbourhood are there are any noxious or offensive chemical works, espe¬ cially lead, colour, mercurial, and water-gild¬ ing factories ? About thirty per cent, of the replies are in the affirmative, about seventy in the negative. The noxious and offensive chemical works which are mentioned are, felt and gas factories, litne-burning, the evaporation of gas liquors, sul¬ phuric and oxalic acid, and other chemical works, some of which are exceedingly offensive. Chemical works exist at Bow-common, in the parish of St. Leonard, Bromley. There are several, also, at Battersea and at Stratford, and in some of the populous parishes in London. Colour, mercurial, and lead manufactories, ammoniacal works, corrosive sublimate manufactories, lucifer-match and floorcloth making, and water-gilding, seem to combine pernicious influences in the highest degree. Gas manufactories are greatly complained of, on account of the immense quantities of smoke which they send forth, and which defiles everything near them. [5.] If so, have you found them injuriously affect¬ ing the health of those engaged in them, or of the neighbourhood ? There are but two negative replies to this inquiry. The injurious results to health from the various agents referred to in the last two queries, vary greatly in cha¬ racter and extent. Some are the fertile sources of The worst forms of malig¬ nant fever, and the malignancy of most diseases, and undermine the health and render prone to disease nearly all in the neighbourhood, as well as greatly protract and ag¬ gravate all diseases. Others have peculiar effects, more or less confined to those more immediately exposed to their operation. It may be said, in general, that nuisances chiefly affect the community, while offensive chemical works and trades chiefly affect the individuals employed in them. The exception to this law is, where deleterious gases are given off. The injurious effects of some acrid and irri¬ tating vapours spread to a great distance. Thus Dr. Bar- 13