A lecture on the sanitary condition of Chorlton-upon-Medlock : delivered at the request of the Manchester and Salford Sanitary Association, in the Town Hall, Chorlton-upon-Medlock, on Thursday evening, January 12th, 1854 / by John Hatton ; W.J. Wilson in the chair.
- Hatton, John
- Date:
- 1854
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A lecture on the sanitary condition of Chorlton-upon-Medlock : delivered at the request of the Manchester and Salford Sanitary Association, in the Town Hall, Chorlton-upon-Medlock, on Thursday evening, January 12th, 1854 / by John Hatton ; W.J. Wilson in the chair. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
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![2G the atmospliere, lias obtained ammonia, which is a product of the putrefaction of animal matter. The existence in the atmosphere of organic matter is therefore incontestible ; and as it must be most dense in the densest districts, where it is produced in greatest quantities, and where the facilities for decomposing it in the sun- shine, and sweeping it away by currents of wind are the least, its effects disease and death—will be most evident in towns, and in the most crowded district of towns.” These observations apply with great force to some of the streets and courts which I have described, viz. those built up at the end and devoid of a current of air through them; and to show that something may be done to remedy evils thus existing, I will give you an instance of immediate improvement in the health of the inhabitants, even when done on a small scale. Taylor-street and Taylor’s Court lie back to back, the latter being blocked up by houses in Oxford-street, and the place entered from that side by a narrow passage. In Taylor-street, in 1847, we had 41 cases of sickness, including 25 cases of fever. Again, in 1849, when cholera was rife, we had 13 deaths. At this period the landlord made a com- munication between the houses of the two streets, and mark the result; in 1850 we had only 12 cases of sickness and not a single death. Surely we may attribute this improvement, in a great measure, to the increased ventilation. I have before insisted upon the necessity of removing all accumu- lations of filth by efficient drainage, and to show that I do not over- rate this important means of diminishing disease, I will give you a forcible extract from the Swansea Herald, proving the melancholy effects of malaria. This occurred in November ;— “ Tlie race ball, at the Bear Hotel, in the town of Cowbridge, was attended by the elite of that ]Dortion of Glamorganshire. In a few days several ladies and gentlemen who had been present were seized with a fever of the most obstinate and dangerous character, the symptoms of which were precisely similar to those of the Croy- don fever (which I may tell you was satisfactorily proved to result from imperfect drainage). The number of sufferers is vari-](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22337489_0034.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
