Death Rate, 9.3 Per 1,000

Housing Accommodation

  At a meeting of the Rushden Urban Council on Wednesday, Dr. Morris, Medical Officer of Health, presented his annual report as follows:-

  I have the pleasure to lay before you my Annual Report on the health and sanitary conditions of the Urban District of Rushden under your care for the year ending December 31^st, 1911, together with detailed reports of the Sanitary Inspector and Veterinary Surgeon.

  No change has taken place in the general character or occupation of the inhabitants of the district.

  From the Registrar’s returns, I find that during the year 1911 281 births (150 males and 131 females) were registered in the district, two of which were transferable, giving a birth-rate of 12.08 per 1000 of the estimated population to the middle of the year, viz., 13,493.

  The births for 1910 numbered 278, showing an increase of three on the number in 1911.

  The deaths during the same period number 126.  Of these seven were transferable.  The total – 126 – is exactly the same as 1910, giving a death-rate of 9.3 per 1000 of the estimated population.

  Twenty-eight, or 22.2 per cent., of the deaths recorded were of children under one year of age, giving a rate of 99.6 per 1000 registered births, as compared with twenty deaths at the rate of 71.9 per 1000 last year.

  The past year has shown an increase in the number of infectious cases notified, principally owing to the outbreak of scarlet fever towards the latter end of the year, the return for the last quarter showing no less than seventy-seven cases from all causes out of a total of 116 notified during the year.

  Owing to the number of diphtheria cases occurring during October you requested me to make a special report on the outbreak, and, after making investigations at the houses concerned, I failed to find anything to account for the outbreak, and, as was mentioned in my report, it appeared to me to be conveyed principally through the medium of the schools, which I had previously suggested should be sprayed and disinfected at shorter and regular intervals.  This recommendation, I am pleased to say, you adopted, and, since the schools have received more attention, the number of cases have been reduced and the town is now practically free from this disease.

  You also ordered the purchase of a small spraying machine, which I had already recommended in a previous report, for the spraying of private houses, and this, coupled with the fumigation as carried out in this district, will certainly help in the checking of infectious disease.

  During the coming year the work of the Sanitary Department will be considerably increased owing to the Notification of Pulmonary Tuberculosis having been made compulsory, thus adding another disease to the list already under the control of this department.

  It is rather early yet to say what steps should be taken, but no doubt it will be necessary at an early date to make some recommendations as to the providing of temporary shelters and possibly a Dispensary or Bureau for the benefit of the persons notified.

  It will also be necessary to visit and inspect all the houses of the persons notified and carry out disinfection and cleansing where necessary after obtaining the consent of the patient.

  I would also recommend that a supply of spittoons of the cup and bottle variety be obtained and supplied gratis, together with some disinfectant, to persons applying for same, these being most useful to the patient while taking his walks, and helps in checking the objectionable and dangerous practice of spitting in public places or on the roadway.

Zymotic Diseases

  I am pleased to again report there has been no necessity to use the Small Pox Hospital during the year.

  Sixty-six cases of scarletina were notified – two in the first, two in the second, ten in the third, and fifty-two in the fourth quarters respectively.  The disease was generally of a mild case, only one death being returned from this complaint.

  During the latter part of the year the disease gained an epidemic character, but not to such extent as to make the closing of the schools necessary.

  In one case the patient was found to have been running about whilst in the peeling stage, before being notified, and possibly this case, owing to playing with other children, was the cause of the disease spreading to such an extent during the latter part of the year.

  Several cases occurred in the same house, and in two instances as many as four cases were notified from one house.

Diphtheria

  Thirty-eight cases were reported.  Three of the cases occurred in one house, two cases were parents who had been nursing their children whilst suffering from the disease, and in one case a child had died before notification.

  Anti-toxin was supplied to Medical Practitioners applying for same for use in serious cases, a supply always being kept at the Council Buildings for that purpose.

Enteric Fever

  Two cases were notified.  Both cases, so far as could be traced, were imported into the town, one  from the district of Finedon and the other possibly from Northampton, one of the patients being a visitor to the town.

  No deaths are returned from this disease.

Diarrhoea

  Nine deaths are reported from this complaint, three of which were under one year of age, and one between one and two years.  This is a very low rate, considering the exceptionally atmospheric heat which prevailed, such -------- high temperature being specially ------ to the decomposition of milk and ----- articles of food, thus producing toxic -------, especially in the young.

  During the summer months cards were ----- from the Sanitary Department giving ------- etc., as to the feeding of infants.

  Disinfectants were freely used, both for -------- watering and also by the scavengers as-------collected the house refuse; each bin, after being emptied, was sprinkled with a disinfecting ----------.

  A special inspection of the district was carried out by your Sanitary Inspector with a view to ascertaining if any excessive accumulations existed, making a special point of the various stable yards and other premises where nuisances were likely to arise.

Measles

  This complaint was rather prevalent in the early part of the year, about sixty infants being absent on this account from the Newton Road Schools.  This disease is not, however, notifiable in the district.  One death is returned from this complaint.

  Whooping Cough is non-notifiable.  Two deaths only are returned from this disease.

Respiratory Diseases

  Twenty deaths from bronchitis and pneumonia have occurred, three of which were under one year of age.

  Nine deaths have been returned from phthisis: one between fifteen and twenty-five, and eight between twenty-five and sixty-five years.

  Six deaths have been returned from tubercular diseases: one under one year, two between one and five, one between five and fifteen, one between fifteen and twenty-five, and one between twenty-five and forty-five years respectively.

  Influenza has been the cause of two deaths: one between twenty-five and forty-five, and one over sixty-five years.

  The deaths from cancer and malignant diseases show a decrease on the year 1910, when fifteen deaths occurred, nine deaths being registered in 1911, showing a decrease of six.  Eight deaths were of persons between twenty-five and sixty-five, and one over sixty-five years.

  Four deaths have been registered as the results of accidents, and one from suicide.

Septic Diseases

  Nine cases were notified from erysipelas, with no deaths.

  One case of puerperal fever was notified.

Housing Accommodation

  The housing inspection of your district has been carried out by your Sanitary Inspector as far as time permitted, but as this branch of work involves a large amount of labour, owing to the number of Notices required to be issued and the number of re-inspections required to be made, it has been found to have increased the work of the Sanitary Department to a much larger extent than was anticipated.

  During the year a number of houses have been systematically inspected and a record of such inspections entered in a special register for future reference, which it is hoped will be of some value when the inspection of your district is completed.

  Defects were found to exist in several houses in Glassbrook Road, caused mostly by the damp condition of the back part of the premises, which necessitates the outer walls being rendered in cement and sometimes the inside plastering being removed.

  As dampness of rooms is known to be favourable to the spread of consumption and other diseases it will be necessary to deal with all houses which are found, on inspection, to be in unhealthy condition, and make them more weather and waterproof.

  During the year I inspected and reported to you on the condition of fourteen houses situated in Little Street, these being some of the older houses, and, while I do not think it advisable, at the present time, to close any of these premises, taking into consideration the amount of air space around them, and to the fact that they are mostly occupied by elderly couples, I recommended that certain works should be carried out to improve these premises.

  After considering this report you ordered Notices to be served on the various owners to carry out work necessary to improve these premises, and I am pleased to note that these Notices were readily complied with and the houses put in a more sanitary condition.

  A good deal of work was done by calling the owners’ attention to various matters, and in some instances new stairs were provided in the place of the old ones, which were in a dangerous condition, also in a good many houses the floors have been taken up where defective and new ones laid, thus giving the tenants a better opportunity to keep their homes clean.  New windows have also been placed in a number of bedrooms, thus giving more light and a better means of ventilation, while several houses which were found in an insanitary condition have been repapered, painted, and lime-washed throughout.

  Three cases of overcrowding were discovered, one of which was reported upon to your Council and Notice served on the tenant to reduce the number of occupants, which was duly complied with.  The other cases were of overcrowded bedrooms, and, on this being pointed out to the tenants, arrangements were made to re-arrange the sleeping quarters.

Sewerage And Drainage

  The drainage of the town is under constant supervision, and during the year a number of improvements have been carried out, in some cases the drains being entirely re-laid.

  With the exception of a few houses on the outskirts of the district, which are provided with moveable receptacles, all the houses are provided with water-closets, a good supply of water being obtained from the public mains for flushing purposes.

  As I have stated in my previous reports, the pressure brought to bear on your Sewage Farm, owing to the additional water-closets, makes it most imperative that the sewage plant should be augmented, either by additional land treatment or the introduction of a system of filtration, etc.

  During the past summer a complaint was received of alleged poisoning of fish in the river Nene, which takes the effluent from the sewage works, as well as adjoining districts; but, while no proof was forthcoming that it was caused by sewage pollution, it is very desirable that some improvement should be made at your works.

House Refuse

  The system of collection is a weekly one, being collected by the public scavenger and carted to the tips, and, while no complaints have been received during the past year, I would commend to your notice the need of providing more suitable carts or vans for the collection of same, and these should be furnished with proper covers to obviate the nuisance caused by the refuse being scattered about by the wind.

Water Supply

  The majority of the houses are supplied from the mains of the Higham Ferrers and Rushden Water Board, whose supply is obtained from an upland reservoir situated at Sywell, and during the past hot and dry summer it has not been found necessary to curtail the supply, a full and constant supply being maintained throughout the year, thus proving that the town is possessed of one of the best supplies it is possible to obtain.

  You are to be commended on having obtained such an excellent and abundant supply of pure water.

  There are still a few surface wells in use for obtaining water for drinking purposes.  This is to be regretted, seeing the danger liable to be caused through surface pollution.

  Two samples of water were analysed during the year.

Schools

  As I have previously pointed out, the schools of the town are satisfactory with the exception of the Alfred Street and National Schools, which require some structural alterations to be made to put them in a more satisfactory condition.

  During the latter part of the year, owing to the number of infectious cases occurring, the schools were sprayed at regular intervals, with satisfactory results.

  I also append a report showing particulars of the sanitary work done by your Inspector and also details taken from the quarterly reports of your Veterinary Surgeon.

  I may here mention that in the early part of the year Mr. F. J. Allen, of Weston-super-Mare, was appointed Sanitary Inspector to your town.  He gives his whole time to the duties of his office and has so far done his work thoroughly and conscientiously.

  In conclusion, I may add that systematic inspection of the district has been made and that all insanitary conditions and ordinary nuisances, as soon as they were discovered, received immediate attention; while those localities in which Zymotic diseases appeared were specially and carefully watched and their hygienic requirements attended to.