On sanitary legislation and administration in England : an address, portions of which were read before the Public-Health Department of the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science, at its Inaugural Meeting, held at Birmingham, in October 1857 / by Henry Wyldbore Rumsey.

  • Henry Wyldbore Rumsey
Date:
1858
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On sanitary legislation and administration in England : an address, portions of which were read before the Public-Health Department of the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science, at its Inaugural Meeting, held at Birmingham, in October 1857 / by Henry Wyldbore Rumsey. 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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    been uniformly recognized, a far larger proportion of running waters would have been brought under public management and the Legislature would scarcely have sanctioned such a measure as the “Thames-Conservancy Act” of last session, in which the antiquated but ill-founded claims of the Mayor and Corporation of the City of London to the bed, soil and shores of our principal river, have been admitted to the extent of con- stituting a majority of the new conservators from members of that corporation. Dr. Acland's remarks on this subject so entirely accord with my own views, that I may be excused for endeavouring to strengthen my case by an extract from his excellent work on the Cholera at Oxford (p. 114) :—“ I have long been satisfied that until the Government take in hand the waters of the Thames Valley as a whole, Oxford will never be adequately drained, and the city [other towns and villages, also, on the banks of the river] will not reach that acme of salubrity which it is reasonable to hope for, and proper to strive to obtain. * ff piivate interests and local convenience are to regulate the outlets of the chief waters of the country, the country at large must bow to their convenience, and suffer still, as it has hitherto suffered. If, on the other hand, the 1 hames reverts to what it was created to be, the great unin- terrupted, undammed water-course of the south-east of Eng-- and then the Thames' valley may, under judicious manage- ment, become one of the chief gardens of England, and Its perfectly regulated waters and irrigated ground may supply vast quantities of cheap food, profitably raised, to the me“o- mffpif l i f 1 18 necessai7 cha»se, fresh powers by new unfettered legislation are imperatively demanded.” Protection of Ewer-purityHere we are at once met by the mischievous results of an erroneous system of town-sewerage sparkling rivulet, the crystal stream, the majestic rivev- pure sources of health, plenty and refreshment-have been of A Vr'ly, US6d UU1ScruPulously frr the vilest purposes As if the poisonous products of factories chemffol 1 1 g^orWn,, millsofCTClyld,Klj The Health oi Towns5 Commission in iw/fc 'rown should be empowered to dcfiiio natm-il 1 'ecOEHnended that the •l»e»% the limit* of their rap.Xo jnrisdSn«k1 couse-
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