BOARD OF HEALTH.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1980, 29 June 1880, Page 4

BOARD OF HEALTH.

The above Board met yesterday afternoon at five o’clock. Present —Mr Harman (chairman), Mr A. Duncan, Mr J. V. Ross, Mr H. J. Hall, C. R. Blakiston, and F. Hobbs. The Secretary rend tho minutes of the conference re sanitary control of the city. Mr Duncan moved—“ That this Board agrees to the resolution passed at tho conference held at the Council Chamber on the 22nd inst. between tho Oiu-istohuroh City Council and the Board.”

Seconded by Mr Blakiston, and carried. It was also resolved that a copy of the above resolution be forwarded to his Worship the Mayor, with tho request that it may be laid before the City Council at its meeting this evening. The report of tho medical officer was road as follows: — The Chairman of tho Board of Health. Sir,— I have the honor to inform you that I am attending at the present time in Lyttelton street a severe case of typhoid fever in a house occupied by a family which is supported hy charitable aid, and as there is only one closet in commou for this and another family living iu the adjoining house, I considered ic necessary to give instructions at the office of the Hoard of Health to have an overflowing closet pan emptied at once, and afterwards twice a week during the continuance of the fever. As I have had carried out on a previous occasion prompt measures like the above, I trust the Board will approve of the action taken in the present case. I would seize this opportunity of bringing under your notice the filthy state of the premises belonging to tho houses in this part of Lyttelton street and Lyttelton street itself. The houses are exceedingly dirty, there is no house drainage, the ground is saturated with house slops and covered with «xcreta, horse manure, and general refuse, tho closets are foul, and Lyttelton street is constantly wet and unclean. In fact, this is a disgraceful place, which should be subjected to a prompt and thorough cleansing. In my letter to you of the 16fcn of this month I referred to a family named Gaffeney, which had been living in Peterborough street, but have now migrated to Lyttelton street. In Peterborough street there were four members of the family ill with typhoid fever, and from Lyttelton street tho father was removed to the hospital, where he died a few days ago, but as yet 1 have not ascertained tho cause of death. My attention has been called to Crescent road, St. Albans, through a case of diphtheria being reported from that quarter. The houses, especially those to the west of the road, lie so much below the street level, and are so wet that I think it will be necessary to have them connected with the sewer to carry away honseslops. I have, &0., Courtney Nbdwill, Health Officer. I have examined Horler’a Soap Factory, an d as at present conducted it is decidedly a nuisance, and should be abolished. The Chairman remarked upon the importance of the first clause of the report, and at his suggestion a resolution was passed approving the action of tho medical officer. It was also resolved to seek legal advice as to the liability of the owner. Correspondence arising out of the report was read. A letter of Dr. Nedwill’s, referred to in the abovo report, was as follows : The Chairman Board of Health. Sir, —When I was appointed medical officer to the Local Board of Health, as you are aware among other instructions forwarded to me for my guidance was tho following one : —“ Whenever it may come to the knowledge of the medical officer of health that any householder has wilfully neglected to report to the Board under clause 28, the existence of a case of infectious disease, it shall be his duty to report the same and render to the Poard all assistance in his power to obtain a conviction.” Having in view that many bad cases of infectious disease were received into the hospital, some of which might not have been previously under medical treatment, and all of them probably from houses where the commonest sanitary laws were neglected, the Board of Health, on the 17th of November, 1879, wrote to the Hospital Board, requesting that all cases of infectious disease admitted into the hospital should be reported “ as they became known.” The Hospital Board promptly replied on the 20th November, that it had “ given instructions to have the request complied with.” Since the 22nd of March last, with the exception of one case of typhoid fever sent in by myself, no cases have been reported from the hospital to the Board of Health. On June the 3rd, in the reports of the public newspapers of the meeting of the Hospital Board, held at the hospital on June the 2nd, the “ Lyttelton Timas ” says tho “ hospital book was examined, and it was remarked that there -was a great deal of fever now existing.” The Press report runs thus —“ That there had only been about a dozen of fever patients in the hospital within the past two months.” If these reports are correct, it is obvious that the instructions of the Hospital Board have not been carried out, and thus a very serious obstacle has been thrown in the way of the health officer performing his duties. It is needless to comment upon the evils likely to ensue from this neglect, as I have already on several occasions informed the Board of the state of affairs usually prevailing at the majority of the houses from which infectious diseases are reported. I have, I am sorry to say, to draw your attention to what appears another irregularity. On April the 24th a ease of typhoid fever was reported to the Board of Health by Dr. Doyle, from the house of a Mr Gaffeney, in Peterborough^street. On May the 7th another case of typhoid fever, from another part of the same house, occupied by a Mr Williams, was reported by Mr Townend. The adjoining house, which was inhabited by a Mr Keetly, was, like the other, situated on premises in a very highly unsanitary condition. Mrs Keetly was taken ill about the same time as the others, was removed to the hospital, and died ; but no report of the case was sent from the hospital to the Board of Health. It thus became a matter of necessity for me, as health officer, in investigating into the causation of these cases of typhoid fever, to make inquiries as to the nature of the disease from which Mrs Keetly had been suffering. Mr Keetly informs me that she had typhoid fever, and the medical gentleman who attended "her both before and after her admission into the hospital says it ‘‘was a bad case of typhoid fever." Without availing myself of the permission given to me by the Registrar-General, I have taken advantage of clause 39 of the Registration Act, which allows any person on payment of a fee to search the Registrar’s books. I find that Mary Keetly’s death is returned from tho hospital as having occurred from “ gastro-onteritis,” a noninfectious disease, classified under the same heading as liver disease, and quite distinct from typhoid or enteric fever in the vital statistics. I also find that George Kirkbouso died in the hospital on April 28th, and the death certificate is “ gastro-enteritis.” I therefore, sir, ask you to be good enough to communicate with the Hospital Board for information—First, as to •whether any cases of typhoid fever, save one, have been admitted into the hospital since the 22nd of March; and second, as to the nature of the disease for which Mary Keetley and George Kirkhouse were admitted into the hospital, and from which they died. I have, &c., (Signed) Courtney Nkdwill, M.D., Health Officer. Christchurch, June 15th. The Chairman remarked that these hospital cases usually came out of dirty houses, and for further information he thought it necessary to write as follows i Local Board of Health, Christchurch, June 15th, 1880. The Chairman Hospital Board, Christchurch. Sir, —I have the honor herewith to forward a copy of a letter which I have this day received from the Board’s health officer. Dr. Nedwill. As the Board are most anxious to obtain early any reliable information as to cases of infections diseases, with a view to detect the causes from which they have originated, I would venture to ask that yon would be good enough to have an inquiry made as to tho case of Mrs Keetley, which appeors from abundant evidence to have originated in a locality in a highly infectious condition. Tho Hospital books would probably throw some light upon the subject. I have the honor to be, sir. Obediently yours, (Signed) R. J. S. Harman. Chairman. To the above the chairman had not yet received any reply, the Charitable Aid Board not having since met. Tho following reports of inspectors were laid on the table:— Board of Health, June 28th, 1880. The Chairman Local Board of Health. Sir, —I beg to report that the whole of the city has now been inspected from house to house. Onr instructions having been to take note especially of premises having common privies in use, and closets having leaky pans, has received our first attention, and notices to the number of 108 have_ been served to abolish cesspits. On one premises, hy an oversight, a cesspit was reported, and this had already received an explanation. Notices to the number of 179 have been served to abate nuisances arising from leaky pans. These notices have been complied with, with the exception of two, and tho premises will be ra-visited. We have found so many closets sodden in the floor with liquid excreta that the pans must be frequently overflowing before tho nightman’s visit, and in tho hurry of tho nightwork pans are often so far misplaced ns to be almost useless as receptacles. The use of earth or other deodoriser is seldom mot with. Occasional omission on the part of nightmen is complained of. That pans are sometimes changed is often complained of, hut I have concluded that the persons making this complaint arc mistaken, bat I have thought it my duty to mention it, for to change closet pans might he the means of spreading sickness from house to house. Closets are often foul from other causes than leaky pans. As to drainage from houses, only iu isolated cases have we found the house surface drains satisfactory, and only in extreme

cases has notice been given, many being mere channels cut through the soil, without any attempt to prevent saturation. Large substances, as potato parings, &0., &c., thrown into the drains, enter the side channels, and make tho work of cleaning expensive and difficult. Solid excreta is too frequently met with in tho channels, owing to bedroom slops haying been thrown into the side channels at night time. On tho majority of tho premises wo inspected we found an accumulation of refuse, often near the house, and in a corner, where it has_ been accumulating for months, Tho practice of putting into holes all kinds of refuse, which are usually filled to tho surface, and then imperfectly covered with earth, is very common. Only those persons who arc willing to pay one penny per cubic foot have refuse removed from the premises by the city scavengers, and a large quantity is put in the nightsoil pans. A supply of pure artesian water is within reach of nearly every householder within tho city. The danger of using water kept in leaky cases, <fco., let into the ground, has bean forcibly pointed out by the medical officer. In the majority of tho cases wo have found taps on artesian wells, but there are yet many without taps and constantly flowing, thus making the soil wet and cold, whilst the constant effort of tho Drainage Board is to dry the soil. The following is a summary of the notices served : Cesspools (common privies), 108 ; leaky pans, 179 ; closets foal from other causes, 63; foul urinals, 13; defective .drains, 40; dilapidated closets, 13; refuse and rubbish, 135 ; total, 561. All the above notices, with tho exception of about eight, have been complied with, and nuisances to that number have been abated or mitigated. I have the honor to he. Sir, Tour obedient servant, (Signed) W. Pearce, Inspector of Nuisances. Christchurch, June 28th, 1880. To tho Chairman Board of Health. —I beg to inform you I have completed tho inspection of blocks S.W.T.R. 2,3, 4, and 6, and blocks S.E. 12, 16, and 17, and submit a short report thereon. X have served 74 notices for nuisances, viz. cesspools. 18; leaky pans, _ 24; foul closets, 11; deficient drains, 10 ; insufficient pans, 1 ; closets Jwithcut pans, 2 ; all of which notices have been complied with, except tho one for insufficient pan, S.W.T.R. 4. I beg to call your attention to the unsatisfactory state of Horatio street, it has not yet been side channelled, the open earth side-drains being in a foul state for want of cleaning out. Several of the houses in this street have no drainage whatever, all sewage and drainage being left to soak into ground. S.W.T.R 3. The occupiers of this block complain of a nuisance from foul smells, caused by want of drainage in a paddock, the property of Mr Chisnell, the paddock being lower than the open earth side-channels, consequently the water has no exit, hut remains stagnant, and during several months in the year is very offensive. The open earth side channels round this block require cleaning out, having got into a foul state through leaves and rubbish accumulating in them. S.E. 16. A very objectionable nuisance on this block, caused by a vacant piece of land, the property of Mr Nathan, and facing upon Tnam street, being made the repository for all sewage and refuse from seven houses facing upon Manchester street, the said houses having no drainage. During my inspection I have met with and passed a great quantity of oil tins and other descriptions of tins, which are used as pans. I think it is most unsatisfactory ; in many cases the pans are too small, and also, not having handles, they are very inconvenient for the nightmeu to empty, often causing foul closets through being upset. I have also found a great want of a proper system of scavengering the house refuse, and more especially tho potato parings and other decaying vegetable refuse being thrown immediately outside the door, and allowed to accumulate in heaps of a size hardly sufficient to justify the serving a notice, but still which are obnoxious and injurious to health, (Signed) R. Wilberfoece, Assistant Ins lector The Secretary stated that tho cost of tho special inspection had been £64. Some routine matters were dealt with, and the Board adjourned.