HH62/1/AYR/13

Transcription

[Page] 12

along some of the principal streets of those places at mid-day - for ex-
ample the Main Street of Beith - several large heaps of reeking filth may
be found sending forth their sickening emanations. Under the Public
Health Act there is no provision for limiting the removal of these
nuisances to certain hours, such as five to eight in the mornings, or
other hours when the operations would only cause the minimum
inconvenience. My reason for not sooner recommending the making
of a bye-law for regulating this nuisance under Section 57 of the
Local Government Act was that I anticipated a new Act would
be passed for the formation of scavenging and cleansing districts,
which would include a provision to regulate this matter, as well as
the size, construction, &c., of ashpits, privies, and dungsteads,
for which we have not at present the necessary powers under
the Public Health Act.


HOSPITAL PROVISION IN THE COUNTY.
The provision of isolation hospitals in the various districts have
been engaging the attention of the District Committees. The only
one of the four districts which may be said to be thoroughly equipped
in this respect is the Kilmarnock one. Fortunately the Kilmarnock
Hospital is conveniently situated for patients from all parts of the
district. It has a very complete medical and nursing staff, and
proper arrangements for isolation and disinfection. The District
Committee entered into an agreement with the Hospital Directors
(commencing January 1st, 1892), for the use of twenty beds for
infectious disease, exclusive of smallpox and cholera, for which they
will probably make arrangements in the new smallpox and cholera
hospital, which is being erected for the Burgh of Kilmarnock. There
is an old smallpox hospital at Hurlford which might be useful until
other arrangements are made for smallpox and cholera. It is like-
wise proposed to get a new hospital at Troon in lieu of the present
one, which is not satisfactory. Troon being a seaport town should
have convenient means of isolation for any emergency. A new
ambulance waggon has also been provided for the joint use of the
Kilmarnock District Committee and Hospital Authority, which is to
be exclusively used for cases of infectious disease.
In the Northern District the Committee have been also making
arrangements for isolation hospitals. The only hospital which may
be considered satisfactory in this district is the Clark Hospital at
Largs, which was built for the joint use of the landward and burghal
parts of the parish. It contains 14 beds, besides accommodation for
a permanent staff, consisting of matron (who acts as nurse), an
assistant nurse, and a domestic servant. All the arrangements have
been carefully planned, but there is no apparatus for disinfecting
articles by means of heat. The Committee are making arrangements
with the Burghs of Irvine and Kilwinning for a combination hospital
in the neighbourhood of Irvine for the use of these burghs as
well as the surrounding landward parishes, while they pro-
pose to build another hospital which would be conveniently
situated for Beith, Dalry, Kilbirnie, and Dunlop.

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In the Ayr District there is at present just one small hospital,
at Dalmellington, which is suitable for that parish only. The District
Committee are negotiating 15 beds in the Ayr County Hospital,
which is an excellent institution, but is not very conveniently situated
for the parishes and villages which are in the east of the district.
It is probable that another hospital may be required for the parishes
referred to. The Ayr Hospital has a good self-regulating disinfecting
chamber.
In the Carrick District there is one hospital - the Maybole Fever
Hospital, which belongs jointly to the burgh of Maybole, and District
Committee It is at present requiring some improvements, and might
be made to meet the wants of the whole of the parishes in the north
of the Carrick District. In the rest of this district the population is
so small, and so much scattered, that the best means of isolation for
such places as Ballantrae, Colmonell, Barrhill, and Barr, would be a
cottage in each suitable for, say, four cases of infectious disease. The
chief difficulty would be to provide efficient nursing.

THE SANITARY STAFF OF THE DISTRICT
COMMITTEES.

The arrangements in regard to the sanitary staff of the Local
Authorities are somewhat varied. In the Northern District the
parish Medical Officers are still retained, while the services of the
Sanitary Inspectors have been dispensed with, and one Sanitary
Inspector appointed, who devotes his whole time to the duties. The
parish Sanitary Inspectors are still retained as Inspectors of Dairies,
but I understand that this is only a temporary arrangement. In the
event of the whole of the duties of the Sanitary Inspector and
Inspector of Dairies devolving upon the present District Sanitary
Inspector I fear that an additional District Inspector will be
required. Even at present it appears that the District Sanitary
Inspector has not sufficient time for giving the requisite attention to
the disinfection of houses after cases of infectious disease, which, to be
of any use, should be carried out or superintended by the officers of
the Local Authority, and not left to the people themselves.
The Kilmarnock District Committee dismissed all the Sanitary
officials of the old Local Authorities. In the case of the services of
a local medical officer being at any time required, the arrangement is
to employ a local practitioner temporarily, and pay him by fees for
any work done. In lieu of the parish Sanitary Inspectors, two
Sanitary Inspectors have been appointed, each of whom has a sub-
district allotted to him. Upon the whole, the sanitary arrangements
of the Kilmarnock District may be considered very complete.
As to the Ayr District, the services of both the parish Medical
Officers and Sanitary Inspectors have been retained. In regard to
the Sanitary Inspectors, since the Infectious Disease (Notification)
Act came into operation I find that while several of them are very
efficient and energetic men, others, either from their lack of sanitary
knowledge or their somewhat inadequate remuneration, do not give
evidence of being efficient local inspectors.