HH62/1/FIFE/27

Transcription

[page] 26

ADVICE AS TO OFFENSIVE TRADES.

In Cupar district the only offensive trades that come under the
jurisdiction of the District Committee are slaughter-houses and a
knackery and artificial manure work at Ballomill.
Regulations for slaughter-houses were drafted and adopted with
some slight alterations, and are now in force in the district,
These regulations were submitted to the Board of Supervision, and
met with their approval, and it is hoped that attention to these on the
part of butchers will lead to an improvement in the general structural
arrangements of slaughter-houses, and to a better state of cleanliness,
than at present prevails, as inspection of the slaughter-houses of the
district has shown that many are in very unsuitable premises, and kept
in a most offensive manner, and the dangers of these are aggravated by
the closeness of dwelling-houses to the slaughter-houses in many
instances.
Complaints having been made as to an alleged nuisance being
committed at Ballomill from a knackery and artificial manure work,
I made an inquiry into the matter, and reported to the District Com-
mittee as to the precautions which should be adopted to prevent any
cause of complaint. The business carried on at Ballomill is the
making of artificial manure from the carcases of horses and cattle.
The animals are either brought dead or are killed on the premises, and
then are boiled in large vats, with the object of separating the flesh
from the bones.
In order to diminish the effluvium nuisance from absorption of
putrescible matter into the soil or into the walls, it was suggested that
the floors of the knackery should be made of concrete, and the walls
faced with cement to at least 4 feet from the floor, and, to prevent the
escape of effluvia from the boilers, these should be provided with
tight-fitting lids, fitted with pipes leading into condensers, and that
when the flesh was removed from the boilers, the steam from this should
also be condensed by plunging the steaming mass into cold water.
The result of this report has been that new premises were erected,
and the recommendations have been carried out, and the effluvia, if not
quite prevented, has been diminished to a great extent.

INSPECTION OF BAKEHOUSES.

The inspection of bakehouses falls to be made by the Medical
Officer, by the Bakehouse Regulations; and accordingly I have per-
sonally examined all, as far as I know. Copies of the Regulations have
been sent to all bakers, so that they could not plead ignorance of the
terms of these. In none of the bakehouses a high state of cleanliness
was found, but, at the same time, there were no very serious defects,
Subsequent inspections have shown that there is an endeavour being
made to secure a better state of cleanliness, by lime washing of the
walls and ceilings, and washing of the woodwork. A great improve-
ment in the Regulations for bakehouses would be the provision for
making Bye-laws, as in cases of slaughter-houses, dairies, &c., but no

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such power is given as the Regulations exist. No proceedings were
necessary to enforce attention to the bakehouses Regulations.

SUPERVISION OVER HOSPITALS.

In the District there is no isolation hospital, and my action as
regards hospital accommodation has been to advise the necessity of the
District Committee to provide suitable hospital accommodation for the
population under their administration. The Report on hospital accom-
modation for the District was considered at a meeting of District
Committee on the 4th August, and it will be useful at this time to
refer to the features of that Report. It was pointed out that the Public
Health Act provided for Local Authorities erecting temporary or per-
manent hospitals, and that different Local Authorities might combine
for the purpose of acquiring an hospital. This was pointed out to meet
the cases, in the event of a combination hospital being contemplated,
for the joint uses of the Burghs and District, or of Cupar and St
Andrews Districts entering into such an arrangement.
The advantages of a combination hospital were pointed out, that it
would not only be a cheaper arrangement for those local authorities
entering into such a scheme, but that a more efficient hospital could be
obtained.
It was also pointed out that, although now and again there might
be immunity from infectious disease, epidemics were certain to occur in
future as they had in the past, and experience has shown that the
only way to deal effectively with infectious cases, not only for the treat-
ment of the cases, but for the limitation of the epidemic, was to remove
them to hospital. In this way, now that the notification of Infectious
Diseases Act is in force, if the District were provided with a suitable
isolation hospital, a threatened epidemic, say of scarlet fever, or of
smallpox, could be cut short.
The report suggested a conference between the various burgh
authorities and the Local Authorities of St Andrews and Cupar, with
the view to acquire a very suitable building for an hospital at Ceres.
This building, designed originally for a convalescent home, has, for want
of funds, been rendered useless for the the original purpose, and my idea
was, and still is, that the best possible use that it could be applied to
was to make it into a combination hospital for the districts of Cupar and
St Andrews. This proposal unfortunately fell to the ground, owing to
the trustees of the building declining to entertain it. In the meantime
no action has been taken in Cupar District to deal adequately with the
subject; and although it is optional for any Local Authority to provide
an hospital, as far as the Public Health Act demands, still no Local
Authority can be considered to be doing all in its power to repress pre-
ventable disease, which does not fulfil this duty. The advantages of
hospital treatment, as regards recovery, are evident, when we remember
that only cases which have not proper lodging or accommodation, or
lodged in a room occupied by others besides those in attendance on
such persons, can be lawfully compulsorily removed to an hospital; and
these conditions, it is very obvious, are not such as tempt the patients