[Report 1893] / Medical Officer of Health, Merthyr Tydfil U.D.C.

  • Merthyr Tydfil (Wales). Urban District Council.
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Report 1893] / Medical Officer of Health, Merthyr Tydfil U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    18/42 (page 8)
    Cases of diphtheria, as will be seen by the table, occurred in other parts of the district of the Board, In every instance your Sanitary Inspector has discovered the escape of sewer gas from closets or from sewers. The prevention of this escape resulted in the disappearance of all disease. 11. ENTERIC OR TYPHOID FEVER.—Two children and 96 adults were notified as being ill of this malady during the year. Eleven deaths were registered. The cases are nearly twice as numerous as in the last year. The localities in which the cases, chiefly occurred were :—Sand-street, Dowlais ; Gellifaelog, Penydarren ; Heolgerrig, in Gellideg. (a) The outbreak in Sand-street, Dowlais, I have described in the last paragraph, and in paragraph 25. (b) Outbreak at Penydarren is described in paragraph 26. (r) Outbreak among operatives at Cyfarthfa Brickyard. This occurred during my holidays in September, the cases were seen, the facts recorded, and the report thereon made to you by Dr. Simons, appointed by you as iny^ Deputy. I here insert his ieport and analyses : 12. OUTBREAK OF TYPHOID FEVER AMONGST THE OPERATIVES ENGAGED IN THE CYFARTHFA BRICKYARD. A point of great interest in connection with this outbreak is the fact that at about the same time there were ill of Typhoid Fever in three parts of the town tour girls of nearly tlie same ages, and all of whom were engaged at the Cyfarthfa Brickyards. It was this fact that led to enquiries being made as to a possible common source of infection. The works were visited, and the water supply wras examined as to its sources, and samples of it were taken for analysis and for Bacteriological examination. The following important information was gained from the enquiries and the analyses :— The water used for drinking purposes at these Brickyards was obtained from two spouts, which w7ere traced to arise from the percolation from the two feeders or carriers conveying the waters from the Rivers Taff Fawr and Taff Fechan to the iron works. This wras ascertained from the fact that when cither one of the carriers wras emptied, one of the spouts dried up. Thus Spout A. dried when carrier A was empty, and spout B. when carrier ]3f was empty.