Outbreak of enteric fever at St. Peter's Home, Woking, in the summer of 1895 : report of the Medical Officer of Health / Woking Urban District Council.

  • Woking (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1895
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Outbreak of enteric fever at St. Peter's Home, Woking, in the summer of 1895 : report of the Medical Officer of Health / Woking Urban District Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Engineers’ will be noticed that, although the first case arose on the 4tli of reports. Jun6j it was not until the 22nd of June the drainage was cut off. It required a very careful inspection by Dr. Howlin and myself before we came to a conclusion as to the probable outbreak. The Governing Committee of the Home sent a sanitary engineer (Mr. John Huntei, of Windsor) to examine and forthwith report on its sanitary arrange¬ ments. On viewing this report, which so seriously challenged the drainage system of a so recently erected Convalescent Home, the Committee, before sanctioning the very extensive alterations recom¬ mended by Mr. Hunter, deemed it expedient to bring the matter before the architect who had carried out the whole construction. He promised to immediately send down a skilled sanitary engineer, and after a delay of several days a plumber arrived, who chiefly confined his attention to filling with red lead the leakages between the iron and lead pipes of the ventilating shafts mentioned abo\c. The matter being a very momentous one, the drainage system was cut off June 22nd, and the Committee were pressed to take further skilled advice, and at once consulted the Sanitary Protection Association, and Mr. W. H. Parry, C.E., was sent down by this Association, and his report thoroughly substantiated the observations made b} Mi. Hunter, Dr. Howlin, and myself. New drainage The Committee have decided to carry out a new system ol ^ogress'1 drainage at a considerable expense, and the alterations are already m Dro°ress. Lessons of the In conclusion, I desire to emphasise the lesson to be deiived. epidemic. from this outbreak. Here we have a comparatively new, and most expensively built Convalescent Home proving itself to be a veritable fever trap. It is quite obvious that this serious epidemic aiose fiom the very careless way in which modern principles of sanitation were carried out ; and the result goes far to prove that neglect in carrying out such a modern system of drainage renders it as dangerous as the most ancient methods. I am much indebted to Dr. Seaton, the County Medical Ofhcei Medical of Health, for visiting the site with me on two or three occasions, and officer. for several instructive conferences which greatly helped me. I have also cordially to thank the Honorary Physician, Dr. physician. Howlin, for valuable assistance in drawing up this Deport, and I cannot help saying how much the St. Peters Committee are indebted to him for the ability and indefatigable zeal he has displaced throughout the whole epidemic. (Signed) W. WELLINGTON LAKE, Medical Officer of Health, Guildford & Woking Districts of West Surrey. Woking Council Chambers, December 11th, 1895. Chandler & Evans, General Printers, Goldswcrth Lead, V oking.
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