Wednesday 14th August 2024  

Quorn Urban District Council - 1899

Loughborough Herald - 9th February 1899

Medical Officer's Report

The monthly meeting of this Council was held at the Village Hall, on Tuesday evening, when there were present: Mr J D Cradock (chairman), Mr J Bolesworth, Mr T Chapman, Mr J Darker, Mr D S Hack, Mr T North, Mr T Pepper, Mr J R Robinson, and Mr R Thompson.

Dr Skipworth, the Medical Officer of Health, attended the meeting and read his report for the year ending 31st December 1898, which stated that the acreage of the district was 2,122 acres, and the population is estimated at 2,000 persons. Deaths in the sanitary district of Quorndon for the year ending 31st December, 1898, 26, 16 males and 10 females. The causes of death were as follow: Diphtheria six, measles two , diarrhoea and dysentry five, phthisis one, bronchitis, pneumonia and pleurisy two, heart disease two, all other diseases seven. Twenty-six deaths calculated on a population of 2,000 persons give a death rate of 13 per 1,000 persons, against 16.5 per 1,000 in 1897. This is the lowest death-rate recorded since 1883, and would have been a record year, excepting for the deaths from zymotic diseases. The average death-rate for the last five years is 17.4 per 1,000 persons. The infant mortality (children under one year of age) is 148.1 per 1,000 births registered, against 60.6 per 1,000 in 1897 and 138.8 in 1896. Last year Quorndon had the lowest rate of infant mortality in the county. Fifty –four births were registered during the year, giving a birth-rate of 27 per 1,000 persons, against 33 in 1897,and 36 in 1896. the average birth-rate for the last five years is 31.9 per 1,000 persons. Zymotic disease caused 13 deaths, eleven being children under five years of age.

The zymotic death-rate is 6.5, diphtheria six, measles two, and diarrhoea five. Last year the zymotic death-rate was the lowest in the county, being nil. Diphtheria was notified in nearly every month during the year, never spreading to any extent. It occurred in nearly every part of the village. Every case was investigated, and generally some sanitary defect was found on the premises where the cases occurred. In several cases the disease could be traced from one person to another. Strange to say, attendance at school appeared to have little to do with the spread of this disease. Most of the cases were of a mild character. The Notification of Diseases Act came into force on April 1st last, and has proved of great service to your sanitary officers. Twenty-three cases of infectious disease were reported, 21 diphtheria, one enteric fever, and one erysipelas. It is very probable there would have been an epidemic of diphtheria if this Act had not been in force.

Plans have been passed for 17 new houses, 14 of which have been built. Nine alterations or additions to existing houses have been passed. 20 yards of 9in sewer have been laid in New Quorndon, and all house drains connected to it. The old brick sewer has been filled up. Three cases of overcrowding have been investigated, and dealt with. A thorough inspection of the whole sanitary district has taken place during the year. The scavenging is now carried out in a satisfactory manner. The Recreation Ground has been raised and levelled, and a retaining wall has been built on one side, near the brook. This is a great improvement, and will be much appreciated by the rising generation, especially as swings, horizontal bars, and see-saws, have been promised by Messrs M Wright and sons. Barrow-lane has been raised, and widened footpaths made, kerbed, and channelled. Twenty-three houses have been supplied with waterworks water. 820 yards of new water mains have been laid. The majority of houses in Quorn are now supplied with waterworks water.

The report was considered a satisfactory one, and it was resolved to have the same printed.

The Clerk reported that the collector had paid £248 2s 2d on account of general district rate and water charges, and that £4 16s 8d., being one year’s rent for telephone poles, had been paid by the national Telephone Company. The Chairman read a letter from the Local Government Board, stating that when the cost of repairing the causeways and footpaths had been ascertained, the Board would be prepared to issue an order directing the Barrow Guardians to hand the money realised by the sale of exhausted parish lands over to the Urban District Council. He also read the names of the owners who had signified their willingness to contribute one-third of the cost of repairing footpaths in front of their property, and then called upon the surveyor to read his report as to the estimated expenditure of kerbing, channelling, and ashphalting the whole of the village. Considerable discussion ensued as to the best means of raising the amount necessary for doing the whole of the footpaths and causeways., and eventually it was resolved that the matter be adjourned until a special meeting, to be convened in a fortnight.

In accordance with notice of motion given by Mr Thompson, it was resolved that the resolution adopting the Notification of Infectious Diseases Act be rescinded. The Inspector reported that no notice had been taken of his order to abate an alleged nuisance on premises occupied by James Camm, and belong to Mrs Herrick.. It was resolved to issue a summons. A seven days’ statutory notice was ordered to be issued to Mr James Woodforth to abate an alleged nuisance existing on premises in Barrow-street, and if not complied with, a summons to be issued. With regard to the alleged nuisance on premises occupied by Joseph Boyer in Barrow-street, and for the abatement of which statutory notice had been served upon Mrs William Camm, the inspector was instructed to write that unless the nuisance was abated within 14 days a summons would be issued.

Submitted on: 2011-01-24 Submitted by: Kathryn Paterson Artefact ID: 1183 Artefact URL: www.quornmuseum.com/display.php?id=1183 Print: View artefact in printer-friendly page