HH62/1/CLACKM/15

Transcription

[Page] 14

A STATEMENT OF THE GENERAL INQUIRIES MADE DURING THE YEAR, AND
OF ANY SPECIAL INQUIRIES AS TO SANITARY MATTERS.

Since my appointment I have visited all the populous places in the
County several times, in order to become acquainted with their general
sanitary condition, and reports have been submitted to the County
Council, giving accounts of the provision of water supply and drainage
for these places.
A special report dealt with the insanitary conditions produced by
the extensive keeping of pigs in the County, under conditions which
were highly injurious to the public health. Pig keeping is carried on
most extensively in the County, due no doubt to the facilities for
obtaining spent grain for food from the various breweries and dis-
tilleries. As long as the animals are kept clean and free from offence,
no fault can be found, but when, as commonly is to be found, no care
is taken to keep the animals clean, and that the places in which they are
kept are in close proximity not only to dwelling houses, but to the
sources of the domestic water supply of these, are most urgent
reasons why they should be found fault with, and attempts made to
remove the evils. The report contained the following suggestions to
pig-owners, and these were printed and circulated throughout the
County:-

1. The pig-stye to be as far removed from a dwelling house as is possible,
and in no case to abut upon, or communicate with, any part of a
dwelling house.
2. Where several pigs are kept, the house should be built of brick or stone,
and ventilated from the roof.
3. The flooring should be made of concrete, and lead into a proper drain or
cesspool.
4. The pig should be washed at least once a week, and supplied with clean
litter frequently.
5. Manure should not be allowed to accumulate, but removed daily to a place
well removed from any dwelling house.
6. On no account will pigs be allowed to be kept in a byre where a cow is
kept.

There have been some alterations made since these recommenda-
tions were published, but in many cases no attempts have been made to
act up to them, and seeing that conciliatory methods have failed to
secure the object in view, recourse will have to be made to legal means.

A GENERAL STATEMENT OF ANY MATTERS AS TO ADVICE OR CERTIFICATES,
INCLUDING ANY ACTION AS TO OFFENSIVE TRADES AND THE
SANITARY CONDITION OF FACTORIES AND WORKSHOPS.

Since my appointment in May, Regulations for Byres, Dairies, and
Milkshops, have been drafted and printed, and also Regulations for
Slaughter-houses, and it is to be hoped that by attention to these the
general conditions of cleanliness and better structural arrangements of
these premises will be secured.

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The question of a Knackery, which was proposed to be erected at
Tullibody, was before the Council, and as I had visited the spot where
it was proposed to be erected, and found that it was nearly 500 yards
from Tullibody, and the applicant was quite prepared to construct it
entirely to my satisfaction, I advised that permission should be granted.
As opposition to the proposal was made by some of the inhabitants of
Tullibody, and an appeal sent in to the Board of Supervision, Mr
Malcolm McNeil visited the place, and afterwards discussed the matter
with me, and we, taking all the circumstances into consideration - some
of which I did not know before - agreed that the applicant must seek
some place for the Knackery beyond the 500 yards limit. A Knackery
has now been established in a place where permission was not necessary
for its erection. I have not any action to report regarding the sanitary
condition of factories and workshops.

AN ACCOUNT OF INSPECTIONS OF BAKEHOUSES IN THE DISTRICT, AND OF
ANY PROCEEDINGS TAKEN WITH REGARD TO THEM.

There are not many bakehouses in the district outside the Burghs,
and those that I have inspected were all in a pretty fair condition -
structurally. Some were in need of the periodical lime-washing, and
one had an untrapped drain opening into it. Under the Bakehouses
Regulations in force, the Medical Officer has very little power to insist
on the thorough sanitary condition of premises in which such an im-
portant article of food as bread is prepared, unless the Bakehouse has been
let or occupied since 1st June, 1883. Why Bakehouses in use before this
date should be allowed to be in worse insanitary condition than those sub-
sequently, is difficult to understand.

SUPERVISION OVER HOSPITAL.

There is no Hospital in the County under the supervision of the
County Council, but negotiations are in progress for a Combination
Hospital for the County and Burghs, and it is to be hoped that these
will come to a satisfactory result, and a Hospital situated at some con-
venient place will be provided. The various arguments for such a
Hospital were dealt with in a report on Hospital accommodation which I
submitted to the County Council, and it is therefore unnecessary to again
refer to them.

INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN DISTRICT.

The Notification of Infectious Diseases Act has not yet been adopted
in the County, and hence it is not possible to give an account of all the
cases that may have occurred during the past six months. There were
several cases of scarlet fever in the village of Menstrie, one occurring at
a dairy, and before we got intimation of this the sale of milk had been
going on as usual, but after this all communication between the infected