[Report 1905] / Medical Officer of Health, Pudsey Borough.

  • Pudsey (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1905
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1905] / Medical Officer of Health, Pudsey Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    TO THE IVIAYOK, ALDERMEN AND COUNCILLORS OF THE BOROlKMi OE PIJDSEY. <iEX’]'LEMEN,- lliis Annual Report on matters aftecting the health of your 'Fown in 1905, is my sixth report to the Corporation, and my hfteenth to the Pudsey Sanitary Authority. A newspaper critic who noticed my report last year, complained that it was common-place, and showed a falling-off on previous mmual reports, inasmuch as there were not so many complaints in it about the shortcomings of the Authority, and on that account he considered it lacked ‘‘ginger.” Although his statement of facts was correct, his fault-finding was not justifieei, for the sufficient reason that the grosser sanitary defects, which abounded in the town, have been abolished, or amended, by the vigorous administration of the Authority. This work was at first beset with difficulties and attracted attention. Now, although the Authority exercise the same, or more, energy in dealing with public health dangers, the work is carried on with lessened friction and therefore does not attract so much attention. From the above it should not be concluded that the sanitary defects of the district have been nearly all abolished ; this is by no means the case, but there has been a vast improvement, many of the worst have been cleared olf, and others are being eradicated at a satisfactory rate. Take a few examples—(1)—YVater Supply. A few years ago there were a large number of private wells, or pumps, most of them liable to, and many of them actually polluted by filth from middens or from the surface. Now few of these death-traps remain, and instead, we have a wholesome water supply from the moors, satisfactory, except in the matter of price. (2) — Scavenging or Cleansing. It is not so long ago since the construction of w.c’s was discotiraged by the Sanitary Authority,— now, the district, instead of being all exposed to the disgusting dangers of a privy-midden town, is about half converted to the water-carriage svstem. The change from one system to the other is being pursued with much activity. The removal of the midden and dust-bin refuse is worked on such efficient lines as to leave little cause for complaint. (3)—Infectious Diseases. Our equipment for dealing with these, except in the case of Small-pox, is satisfactory. We have full provision for notification, inspection.