Judie Peddie - Dirty London
Posted on Oct 25, 2016
Peter Richardson introduced our guest speaker Judy Peddie. Judy has a degree in biochemistry and after 3 years in research in this area then joined the Metropolitan Police in London. She served there for 21 years and retired as an inspector.
As well, Judy completed a law degree and worked for the RAF in provisions for 15 years.
She is also Chairwoman of the Hillingdon group with 1000 members in UK. As well, Judy is treasurer of the Women’s’ Institute, the equivalent of the CWA in Australia.
Judy spoke on her theme of “Dirty London.” She described the “Great Strike of 1658” London had grown from a Roman Fort to a very dirty city. The stench of the rubbish and human waste was overpowering and people collapsed, completely overcome by the smell of rubbish tipped onto the
streets and into the river.
By the nineteenth century the Thames had become the most polluted river in the world. In effect the river was the largest cesspool in the world.
As well as being a dumping ground for human and non-human waste, the Thames provided drinking water and thus lives were often cut short by diseases such as cholera, typhus and typhoid.
In 1858 Lawmakers attempted to solve the problem of fermenting waste sewerage by developing an infrastructure to cope with the problem. The engineer appointed built sewerage pipes with a diameter of 6 – 8 feet. These are still in use today.
Dr Snow was able to identify the cholera epidemics were linked to water taps where the cesspools overflowed into the river and as the sewerage pipe network controlled waste going into the river epidemics of cholera were controlled.
Today people can swim and fish in the Thames. Judy was thanked for a very interesting and informative talk.
She is also Chairwoman of the Hillingdon group with 1000 members in UK. As well, Judy is treasurer of the Women’s’ Institute, the equivalent of the CWA in Australia.
Judy spoke on her theme of “Dirty London.” She described the “Great Strike of 1658” London had grown from a Roman Fort to a very dirty city. The stench of the rubbish and human waste was overpowering and people collapsed, completely overcome by the smell of rubbish tipped onto the
streets and into the river.
By the nineteenth century the Thames had become the most polluted river in the world. In effect the river was the largest cesspool in the world.
As well as being a dumping ground for human and non-human waste, the Thames provided drinking water and thus lives were often cut short by diseases such as cholera, typhus and typhoid.
In 1858 Lawmakers attempted to solve the problem of fermenting waste sewerage by developing an infrastructure to cope with the problem. The engineer appointed built sewerage pipes with a diameter of 6 – 8 feet. These are still in use today.
Dr Snow was able to identify the cholera epidemics were linked to water taps where the cesspools overflowed into the river and as the sewerage pipe network controlled waste going into the river epidemics of cholera were controlled.
Today people can swim and fish in the Thames. Judy was thanked for a very interesting and informative talk.