Dr. G.S. Buchanan's report to the Local Government Board upon an outbreak of enteric fever at Wadebridge, in the rural district of St. Columb Major, upon the sanitary condition of the place and upon administration by the St. Columb Major Rural District Council / [G.S. Buchanan].

  • Buchanan, George Seaton, Sir, 1869-1936.
Date:
1897
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. G.S. Buchanan's report to the Local Government Board upon an outbreak of enteric fever at Wadebridge, in the rural district of St. Columb Major, upon the sanitary condition of the place and upon administration by the St. Columb Major Rural District Council / [G.S. Buchanan]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    consumed water from one of the implicated wells within two weeks or so of their attack. Thus :— A total of four persons living in Egloshayle were attacked during the outbreak. One was a man in daily employment at Mr. X.’s, in the Trevanson Street area at Wadebridge. He had gone to work as usual up to the time of sickening with fever. He informed me that he had frequently drunk water which came from Mr. X.’s well there. In the second case, which had been fatal, I ascertained that the sufferer, a girl in daily work at Wadebridge, had up to the time of her illness had her meals at the home of a relative in the Trevanson Street area, and had habitually drunk water from “ Craig’s Well.” The third Egloshayle case, a builder’s carpenter, was also in daily work at Wadebridge for several weeks prior to his attack. I ascertained that during that time he habitually dined, and, it is believed, drank water, at a house in the Trevanson Street area which obtains drinking water from “ Craig’s Well.” This house, marked with a * on the map, was one of the seven using “ Craig’s Well ” water at which no illness was reported among the inmates. The fourth Egloshayle case was a youth who had, a fortnight prior to the onset of his illness on August 5th, attended market at Wadebridge, and, it being a hot day, drank water copiously at another house within the area, also supplied from “ Craig’s Well.” In Wadebridge itself, eight persons living outside Trevanson Street area were attacked. In three cases, falling ill respectively about August 23rd, September 10th, and September 15th, I was unable to trace any association with Trevanson Street area or its water supply. It will be noted, however, that all three were attacked late in the epidemic. Other three worked daily within Trevanson Street area, in each instance on premises for which “ Craig’s Well” was the only source of supply resorted to ; the seventh had drunk water from “ Craig’s Well ” about two weeks before her attack ; the eighth was a child said to be in the habit of drinking from the public pumps, and who may, therefore, have drunk from “ Craig’s Well.” O Opportunities of pollution of “ Craig’s ” and three adjoining wells had now to be looked for. I have already described the construction of u Craig’s Well” on p. 3. I found within 10 yards of it a group of three privies which serve houses in Trevanson Street. Each of these privies has a movable receptacle beneath the seat. At the time of my inspection these receptacles were not full ; but I was informed by several persons that some weeks before, each of them was in a filthy condition and that their contents overflowed on to the privy floors. These privy floors are slated but nevertheless would in places permit filth to soak through into the subjacent soil. Behind these three privies, and within 15 yards of the well, is another privy, used by persons employed at a wdne merchant’s store. The space beneath this privy is connected with a privy- pit of some 20 cubic feet capacity. This privy-pit is not made watertight by cement or otherwise, and its contents must needs pollute the soil in its neigh¬ bourhood. On ground between this privy-pit and the well, stable dung is stored, while within a few feet of the well is an open walled space nowr used chiefly for the deposit of broken bottles, but which is said to have accommodated, prior to the epidemic, a variety of objectionable refuse. On opening the road¬ way near “ Craig’s Well ” a rubble drain wras found. This rubble drain was ascertained to be the principal “ sewrer ” of the town wdiich here lias received the drainage of the greater part of Molesworth Street. This “ Molesworth Street sewer ” leaves Molesworth Street at the junction of that street and Trevanson Street. It passes for a short distance along Trevanson Street to a point within 4 yards of u Craig’s Well.” At this point it bends at aright angle and passes on to its outlet belovr the Egloshayle bridge. Xear this right-angled bend this “ sewer ” receives soil pipes from two closets, in Mr. X.’s and Mr. Y.’s premises respectively. The current in the “ sewer ” at this point is sluggish, and on the day the roadway vras opened matters which had lodged at the opening of one of these soil pipes had not been vrashed away some four hours later, when the “ sewer” was covered over. The three private wells implicated, X.’s, Y.’s, and Z.’s, are each a little further removed than is “Craig’s Well” from pollution from the privies, privy- pit, manure and refuse heap referred to. But all three are exposed to pollution B 14891