Some points in the physiological and medical aspect of sewage irrigation : the second edition of a paper read at the Social Science Congress, at Bristol, Oct. 2, 1869, with notes upon the recent evidence adduced against irrigation in the Houses of Parliament, &c. : to which is also appended, a paper on the influence of sewer gas on the public health / by Alfred Carpenter.

  • Carpenter, Alfred, 1825-
Date:
1870
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Some points in the physiological and medical aspect of sewage irrigation : the second edition of a paper read at the Social Science Congress, at Bristol, Oct. 2, 1869, with notes upon the recent evidence adduced against irrigation in the Houses of Parliament, &c. : to which is also appended, a paper on the influence of sewer gas on the public health / by Alfred Carpenter. 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.

    36/70 (page 36)
    This is a possible danger, but not a necessary one; if the ground is badly chosen, if the arrangements are not carefully made, if a 'fault' exist in the geological formation of the ground, and the source of a well, the water of which is used for dietetic purposes, is in close proximity to it, to sewage; that around the outfall of the farm the health of the people was deteriorated; that both typhoid fever and diphtheria extensively prevailed ; and that these residts were attributed to the sewage farm. These statements, roundly made before a Committee of the House of Commons, were at once brought to the notice of the local authority. The district in which the farm is situated is not under the sanitary control of the Croydon Local Board, lying beyond their jurisdiction, although it is within that of the Croydon Board of Guardians. The gentleman in question, Mr. Creasy, being their medical officer, had to report periodically to the latter body upon the state of this part of the Union. It appeared in evidence, that although this had existed since 1865, no official report had been made to the proper autho- rity by the medical officer, and a neglect of duty (if the statement were true) was clearly chargeable against the gentleman who volunteered the information to the Committee of the House of Commons, and who ought to have made a report of the case to the Board of Guardians. They called for a report from him, and in that paper, dated June 13, 1870, it is stated by the same gentle- man that the people affected being above the condition of paupers, had not to be reported upon to the Guardians. He states that the greatest defect arose from bad closet arrangement— gene- rally a common privy over a cesspool having an overflow into adi-ain. The cesspools were full; the water used was pumped from local wells, was complained of as bad, and in all was of doubtful aspect and smell. The cesspools ai-e reported as situated within twenty yards of the houses. The reporter could not find any cause for the fever, either in the condition of the water or the close proximity of the cesspools; but he refers its origin to a culvert which was supposed to carry away effluent water from the Croydon sewage farm, and which ran past the whole of the houses at a distance of 85 yards \yide plan]. These houses had been, says the reporter, for some years the seat of disease, with much gastric irritation ; and he sums up his report by stating that the particular locality suffers from the propin- quity of the Croydon sewage grounds, and that the wells are infected thereby. No deaths have, however, been recorded.