The Sun.
London, England, 1853-11-11 00:00:00

TIIE CHOLERA.

( From the General Board of Health.)
DUNDEE.
Nov. S.—Cholera, deaths
COUPAR ANGUS (N.B )
Nov. 5 to 9,—Cholera, death
SOMALI (CAMBRIDGESHIRE).
Nov. 9.—Cholera, deaths
Diarrhoea

MERTON AND MITCHAM.

There have been four attacks of cholera in this dis-
trict, and three deaths. The fatal cases have run their
course with extraordinary rapidity. In two instances
death occurred within ten hours from the attack, the
patients having been previously in a state of apparent
health. In the third instance the man had been slightly
ailing for some time, but he was in his usual health the
evening before the attack, and slept quietly during the
night. About eight a.m. he was rapidly purged five
times ; he then went to work, but remained only a short
time, and returned home and took some brandy ; he
again ventured to go out, but was constrained to come
back, and forthwith the alarming symptoms set in, and
proved fatal at 11 p.m.
He has left a widow and three children.
Dr. Milroy, who had been requested to examine into
the circumstances connected with these fatal cases, states
that the house is a decent and cleanly four-roomed one,
in the main road, but that in the rear there is more than
one source of insalubrity, which, taken in connexion
with the ailing health of the deceased, may fairly be
regarded as the predisposing and favouring cause of the
attacks.
At the end of the short garden behind is an open
sewer ditch, which receives the contents of the closets
of this and the adjoining houses, as well as other sorts
of refuse. The smell from this ditch is at times very
offensive, and it appears that just before the occurrence
of this case of cholera the stench was so great as to in-
convenience the outside travellers of the coach along the
highway, but there is a worse nuisance nearer to the
house,—viz., the state of the closet and the cesspool,
with the drains attached. The late heavy rains having
filled the ditch, there had been a reflux of the water
into these receptacles of odure, stirring up their contents,
and causing them partially to overflow and saturate the
earth around with putrescence. This had occasioned a
most foul smell, not only in the closet itself, but in the
adjoining washhouse from a sink, and from which there
issued a very offensive effluvium, which the deceased
had vainly attempted to correct with chloride of lime.
The drainage of Mitchem and Merton is entirely by
open ditches, a state of things which is inevitably pro-
ductive of unwholsomeness in a variety of ways. Until
the last twelve months there does not appear to have
been an underground sewer in any part of the district.
During that period a large brick sewer has been con-
structed for about a mile and a quarter along the high-
way, to supersede the open ditch which separates the
parish of Merton from that of Wimbledon. This work
has been executed by a private company, called the
" Church of England Freehold Land Society," under
the supervision of the Commissioners Sewers. As yet
very few of the houses have drained into the sewer, and
there does not appear to be any power to compel land-
lords to connect their house property by suitable pipe-
drains with the sewer.
Hitherto there has been no connected structural water
supply in any part of the district. It is only now that
this indispensable free requisite is about to be obtained
by the extension of the mains of the Lambeth Water
Company.
As usual, the domestic conveniences in the lower
class of houses are nuisances both to the inmates and
their neighbours. For example, three houses fronting
the public road have but one common privy, the con-
tents of which, after heavy rains, overflow into another
house in the rear. Great complaints are made by many
of the poorer tenants of the exceeding offensiveness of
their cesspools, and of their inability to rid themselves
of the abominable nuisance in close proximity to their
dwellings.
In consequence of the quantity of rain of late, the
land in most parts is very wet, obstructing vegetation,

and at the same time rendering the walls of the cottages
damp and unwholesome. A few deep trenches would
greatly remedy this evil ; but nothing is done, and
everywhere one sees the vegetables rotting on the ground,
and the land lying unprofitable for the mere want of a
few hours' active work with a spade. Great good would
be effected by the resident gentry taking an interest in
these matters, and granting small allotments of ground
at small rents, on the condition of its improvement, as
tested by its increased productiveness.

METROPOLIS.

The returns from the divisions D, K, M, P, and S of
the Metropolitan Police for the 9th inst. give 18 cases of
cholera and 10 deaths. In one house in Devonshire-
place, Marylebone, three cases occurred, of which two
have proved fatal, and the remaining patient is dan-
gerously ill. With reference to a death that took place
at No. 9, Albion-place, Bermondsey, on the 7th inst.,
the police state that the yard of this house is small and
close ; the inhabitants complain of offensive smells from
a long open ditch running on the south-east side of this
place. In front of No. 2, Manor-place, Deptford-road,
where a death occurred, there is a drain, the smell from
which is very offensive, and at the back of the house
three very dirty privies, occasioning much annoyance to
the inhabitants.

On the 9th inst. Dr. Milroy had an interview with the
guardians of the poor of St. George's, Hanover-square,
and St. James's, Westminster, to confer with them upon
the directions and regulations of the General Board of
Health now in force throughout the kingdom, under the
existing Order in Council.
In the former parish the services of an inspector of
nuisances have been employed ever since 1849, and upon
his complaint various outward sanitary evils around the
dwellings of the poor have been more or less effectually
removed. One of the most fruitful sources of disease,
especially during an epidemic season like the present, is
that arising from the overcrowding of rooms, very gene-
rally ill-ventilated at the same time. It requires, of
course, to have the certified opinion of a medical man
before parochial authorities could properly exercise the
powers which they now possess over this important
matter. The guardians of St. James's have already,
upon the certificate of their medical officer, put in force,
with advantage, the requirements of the 4th supple.
mental direction of the General Board of Health, which
has reference to the point in question, an order having
been granted by the sitting magistrate to carry them
into effect. The order in question is as follows :
" That where any medical officer engaged in carrying
our regulations into execution shall certify in writing
that any dwelling-house or room is so overcrowded as to
threaten danger to the health of the inmates on the oc-
currence of cholera, or any epidemic disease, and shall
specify in such certificate the number of inmates which
shall not be exceeded in such house or room the owner
or occupier having the control of such house or room
shall forthwith reduce the number of inmates as speci-
fied in such certificate, notwithstanding any measures
that may have been taken to ventilate, purify, or
cleanse the house or room." . _ .

Great complaints were made at the meeting of the
guardians of St. George's respecting the present state of
the great Ranelagh sewer. The board has recently me-
morialised the Home-office upon the subject.
During last week, independently of five fatal cases of
cholera in St. James's, there was a considerable increase
both in the frequency and severity of bowel complaints
in some districts of the parish.
The parochial authorities have therefore most judi-
ciously appointed extra medical assistants to afford re-
lief in all cases of threatened sickness.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

BIDEFORD EXTENSION.

Considerable delay in the progress of the works on
this line (the first sod of which was turned in August
last) has arisen from the tardiness and formalities of
legal occupation of the land required for the undertak-
ing, and an uncertainty whether or not the works
should commence, as originally intended, at the town
of Bideford. It has, however, been determined that the
works shall be commenced forthwith, at the parish of
Fremington, when the land has been taken and paid for,
and the contractor will thus have the advantage of pass-
ing his plant and materials on the rail as the work pro-
gresses.