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.

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    consequence of a dispute between the landlord and the water company ; thus visiting the sins of the two parties upon the unoffending tenants. In the Metropolis there are about 270,000 houses, and 70,000 of them are without a supply of water being carried into them. Under the volun¬ tary system, it is several years before water reaches the lower class of houses. [23.] What accommodation have they for keeping the water, and what is its general condition ? All the replies to this question are to the effect, that the poor have very scanty accommodation for keeping the water, which flows from stand-taps in the courts where they reside. It is turned on three times a week, for about two hours each day; in some places for a much shorter time. The consequence of this intermittent supply is, that the poor, for want of proper covered cisterns, preserve the water in pails, tubs, or earthenware jars until the next water day. In the interim, the water in these vessels becomes contaminated by absorbing the vitiated air of the rooms in which it is placed, and is covered with soot and dust, so as to render it totally unfit for culinary purposes; and hence a reason why many resort to the public-house for beer, and other intoxicating liquors, when, if they had pure fresh water constantly at hand, they would make use of tea or coffee. Mr. Liddle states that the poor incur great expense, from the want of wholesome water, by being obliged to resort to public-houses or coffee-shops for their breakfast, instead of having it at home with their families, which they would otherwise be enabled to do. The general condition of the water supplied to the houses in some parts of the Metropolis, is stated to be at times most “ disgustingly filthy,” and is always exceedingly hard, so that the public incur considerable expense for fil¬ tration, and for the additional quantity of soap which they are compelled to use. It is urged that all the water sup¬ plied to the Metropolis should be filtered, which could be done at a very small cost. [24.] Is the charge for it reasonable ? To this question nearly the whole of the replies are to the effect, that the charge for water, both to the rich and the