BOARD OF HEALTH.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1873, 24 February 1880, Page 3

BOARD OF HEALTH.

The Board of Health held its usual meeting vesterday. Bresent —Messrs R. J. S, Harman, Hobbs, Duncan, Blakiston, Hall, and Ross. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. Dr, Nedwill, the health officer, reported as follows : Christchurch, February 19th, 1880. Sir,—l have the honor to report that, at your request, I have examined that portion of tho city which is bounded by Salisbury street, Barbadoes street, the North Belt, and Madras street, and from New street, in part of which there have been lately three oases of typhoid fever reported to your Board, I am aware that in the same locality there have recently been several cases of severe dysentery. With a few exceptions only those houses fronting tho principal streets have drains to carry off the refuse or storm water. There is it is true a small cutting called North drain, into which several people discharge their house slops. This drain has its origin in the overflow from an artesian well near the North Belt, running under New street and then through several gardens until it falls into the sewer in Salisbury street. There is a street between the belt and New street, which is unformed and unnamed, and it absorbs the drainage from several houses. Tho land is peaty, and quickly absorbs the water. Almost all of the- artesian wells have sunk below the surface level, and the water from them is retained in receptacles, a few of which are made of concrete, many of them are drapers’ zinc-lined cases, and some of them are of wood. On this porous ground, with water supply below the surface, I found two common cesspits and six pans or wooden boxes, which were no better adapted for containing fluid than riddles.

At some places slops were discharged on the surface, and hero and there were heaps of rubbish and manure. The three cases of typhoid fever are_ easTy accounted for; two of them are from adjoining houses which use] the water from a well which allows of leakage from the ground through the open joints of the box containing the water. The third house is supplied with water from a zinc lined case, which probably leaks. At the bottom of the case there were several large pieces of decaying vegetable matter, and on stirring the water with a stick, much to the owner’s surprise, it bore a strong resemblance to filthy sewer water. A more unhealthy place than this part of the town it would be difficult to imagine. Unformed streets, no drainage, the groand saturated with house slops and excreta from cesspits and rotten pans, and water below the surface not protected from contamination.

In connection with this report, I would draw your attention to a neat of twelve dirty cottages situated on a small piece of ground in Montreal street north, and known as the “ rookery.” As a case of typhoid fever was a few days ago reported from a house in the vicinity, I was led to examine them. Six of the cottages are so built that there is no space behind for closets, consequently these necessaries are placed on the spare plot facing the doors. The remaining six tenements have the closets behind their dwellings, but these closets are also opposite the doors of the first-mentioned cottages. There are, moreover, only four small closets—emptied only once a week—for the twelve families. The closets are very near the houses, and one of them in particular was most filthy. All around and underneath the pan the ground was covered and saturated with decomposing excrement, whicn emitted a moat sickening stench. lam informed that tramps frequently make use of them.

The water is artesian, but the tank underneath the pump to catch the overflow contained water so black and filthy that it was impossible to see of what material the tank was constructed. In one corner of the premises is a rubbish heap, in which were found, besides general household refuse, a dead dog, eelskins, cookies, and other small shell fish.

The drainage is so very imperfect that slops must become absorbed into the ground unless they are thrown into the side channel. In the cottages, and in the immediate neighborhood, there have been quite lately several oases of dysentery, two of them proving fatal. The requirements necessary for common decency and health suggest that not only must the closets be kept clean bnt increased in number, and so placed that on entering and leaving them some degree of privacy may he possible. As those cottages, however, are connected and so small that they cannot possibly afford accommodation for large families, I think with careful supervision two families may be permitted to nsa one closet. The Board must not have this taken as a precedent, as I consider the principle of allowing two families to use the same closet wrong.

Dnst bins, properly ventilated and roofed in to keep the contents dry, should be provided. They should be regularly and frequently emptied, and no slops or excrement should be thrown into them.

As I write this report my attention is drawn to another place within the town where the air is being contaminated with exhalations from ground saturated with excreta through leaky and bidly kept pans. As I understand that the time of the Board’s inspector is already fully employed, I think it will be evident to the Board from the proved existence of such nuisances as I have described that additional inspection is absolutely necessary if adequate steps are to be taken for the protection of the public health. I think it right to take this opportunity to caution the masters cf schools to be very careful to see that the pans at their schools are not only well supplied with dry earth and some disinfectant, but frequently emptied. Ido this as I find that some of the children now suffering from typhoid fever have been quite recently attending school. (Signed) Courtney Nedwill, M.D, Health Officer. The Chairman of the Board of Health. ASSISTANT INSPECTOR'S REPORT. 1. Assisted Dr Nedwill in the inspection of New street, Madras street north, and the surrounding neighbourhood. Found some of the closets in a most defective state. Served notices upon Messrs. Murphy, Knight, Black, and Squires, the owners of the different houses, but up to the 20th inst. no steps had been taken to abate the nuisances. 2. Acting upon the instructions of the chairman, inspected Mr S. Jamieson’s preperty,Hazelden road, complained of by Mr Treadwell. I do not feel justified in pronouncing the position of Mr Jamieson’s closet a nuisance Treadwell. It is within Mr Jamieson’s fence, and seventeen feet from the doors of the cottages owned by Mr Treadwell. 3. On February 7th inspected Mr J. Frow’s property, Opawa. Found the closets in a defective state. Served notice on him to abate the nuisance, but on revisiting the place on February 19th I found that no steps had been taken to do so. There is also a very foul drain on the premises. I would call the special attention of the Board to this case, as between the above dates two deaths occurred in one cottage on the premises. 4. Observed that the side channels on the north side of the North Belt and the south side of the South Belt were very foul. I wrote to the City Council about the matter, but no steps have been taken to rectify the matter on the North Belt.

5. I have inspected the premises of the houses from which infectious diseases have been reported, and also those houses in their immediate neighbourhood, a report of which appears in the diary. On clause 1 the Chairman said in all such cases he intended to proceed summarily against persons offending, after a reasonable time had elapsed from the time of notice. On clause 3 it was resolved to take the advice of the Health Officer as to the proper steps to be adopted. Clauses 4 and 5 being considered, the report, as a whole, was adopted. The Chairman said that in consequence of the disclosures which had come under hie notice, he had instructed Mr Barnes to make a house to house inspection. The Inspector reported as follows on the infectious diseases during the past fortnight :—Typhoid—Christchurch, 12 ; Sydenham, X ; Avon, 1 ; Heathcoto, 1 ; Biccartou, 1 ; total, 16. Diphtheria—Sydenham, 1 ; Avon, 1 ; total, 2. A number of letters were read bringing under the notice of the Board existing nuisances prejudicial to the public health. Thia terminated the business, and the Board adjourned.