The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-28 00:00:00

CITY SEWERS COMMISSION.

The weekly meeting of the Commissioners of
Sewers was held yesterday at Guildhall, Mr. De
Jersey in the chair.

THE PREVALENCE OF FEVER IN THE CITY.

It will be remembered that at the meeting of the
Court a fortnight since Dr. Letheby, the medical
officer of health for the City, stated in his report that
fever was very prevalent in the City Unions, and re-
commended a temporary hospital for fever cases, as
the Fever Hospital was full.
Yesterday Dr. ABRAHAM asked what communica-
tions had been made to the guardians of the City
rUnions respecting that report.
Mr. DAW, the chief clerk, said a copy of Dr.
Letheby's report had been rent to the guardians of
the City Unions, drawing special attention to the
recommendation for a temporary hospital, and that
answers had been received stating that fever was
not very prevalent, and the Fever Hospital was not
full, and was now able to receive patients.
Dr. ABRAHAM then asked upon what facts the
medical officer had recommended a temporary
hospital.
Dr. LETUEBY said that for the last two or three
months he had watched with great anxiety the
increase of the cases of fever in the City, and
although nothing had been said about it in a
special report, still he had been using great vigil-
ance in the inspection of houses and sanatory
improvements, and on the Bth May he received a
communication from the relieving officer of one of
the City Unions, to the effect that the Fever Hos.
pital was full, and he submitted to him whether it
was not necessary to establish a fever ward in the
City. He had also received a memorandum from
Dr. Digby, calling his attention to the southern
district of the West London Union, and on examin-
lug the alakevoa retnrno, ho found that during the
last seven weeks, out of an aggregate of 1,231 cases
of illness in the City, there were 106 cases of fever ;
whereas last year there were only 18 cases of fever
out of 1,717 cases of illness. Fever had risen from
1 per cent in all cases to nearly 9 per cent; in the
Western Union, where it had been most prevalent,
to 13 per cent. In one of the western districts of
the Eastern Union it had risen to nearly 16 per cent.
On looking at these returns of deaths from fever,
also seeing that while last year there were only 10
deaths in seven weeks in the City, there were this
year 32 deaths in the corresponding period, and
that half of the deaths were in the City Unions, he
thought himself justified in making the recommen-
dation in his report.
Dr. ABRAHAM said had been present when the
report was read, he certainly should have opposed
any such recommendation. His own experience
told him that fever was not so prevalent, as he had
not had one case of fever for the last four months.
Certainly tle were sometimes more cases of fever
than at otheM, but that was not a sufficient cause to
address a public board and recommend a temporary
hospital, and to frighten people into the very thing
that they wanted to avoid. He thought that even
all the facts alluded to by Dr. Letheby were not
sufficient for such a recommendation. It was quite
right of the medical officer to inform the Court of
any prevailing disease or epidemic; at the same time
he did not think it judicious to accompany it with
such a recommendation. He hoped that what had
taken place would tend to calm the public mind, as
it had been thrown into a state of consternation and
alarm by the doctor's report.
_ _

Dr. LETHEBY said the recommendation did not
emanate from him in the first place, but from the
officer of one of the unions.

The CHAIRMAN said he thought there could be no
doubt that the medical officer only did his duty in
reporting to the Commission as a sanitary board—
(hear)—and if he had any fears respecting the
health of the City, it was the duty of the Commis-
sion to take such steps in the matter as the Act re-
quired. His attention had been drawn to what
might prove a serious• evil, and the Court had only
done their duty in pointing out the most efficacious
mode of quelling the evil. He thought if an unne-
cessary alarm had been caused it was the fault of
the officers of the unions, who should have taken the
necessary means to remedy the evil within their re-
spective unions, and he thought the resolution which
was passed by the Commission was one which they
were bound to pass under the circumstances.