360 Health of Labourers employed at Night-'work. 



employ. [Never ill at his work ; drinks hard at night-work, 

 but not in the day.] 



G. — Thirty years of age ; five years in Mr. Creevy's employ. 

 [Never ill at his work; drinks moderately.] 



H. — Thirty-five years of age ; six years in Mr. Creevy's 

 employ. [Never ill at his work ; drinks moderately.] 



L — Sixty years of age ; seven years in Mr. Creevy's em- 

 ploy. [Never ill at his work ; hard drinker.] 



Mr, Creevy has been twenty-five years in business ; never 

 knew any of his men to be ill at the regular night-work ; al- 

 most all of his men have been blind for a day or two, after 

 cleansing very foul privies or barrack privies. 



Mr. Creevy says his workmen all drink gin, and smoke 

 tobacco, at night-work ; and that he thinks nightmen have 

 better health than most labouring men. Mr. Creevy says he 

 was employed, about six weeks ago, to empty two cesspools, 

 or receptacles for decomposed flesh, at the anatomical school in 

 Windmill-street. All his men came home sick; he had them 

 all washed with warm water, and made them gargle their 

 throats with warm water and vinegar, except G., who went 

 home without taking this precaution ; he was ill a week in 

 consequence. 



Mr. Creevy also states, — in answer to inquiries as to the na- 

 ture of the blindness with which some of his men have been 

 afflicted after emptying very foul privies, as stated above, — that 

 from a practice of twenty years, he finds the result nearly as 

 follows : — 



Large cesspools, such as cesspools of workhouses, and 

 cesspools of barracks of horse and foot guards. 



The man employed with the pail standing over, and the 

 man at the bottom, have returned home in the morning with 

 their e3'es in a strong state of inflammation*; after washing 

 they have applied a cold lotion, and have been able to return 

 to their employment, after twenty-four hours, without the aid 

 of medical assistance, as if nothing had occurred ; and Mr. 

 Creevy has never found any unfavourable symptoms to 

 supervene. 



* I have seen some of these cases, and find the inflammation resembles 

 erysipelas. — A, C. 



