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Full enquiry was made into the possibilities of infection by milk,
mussels, watercress, etc., but with no connecting link. Serum tests
and examination of faeces gave no assistance, but on the removal to
hospital, for purely observation purposes, of J.T.H. and his daughter,
P.H., the Typhoid bacillus was found in the urine of both. This
completed the chain. The father contracted the disease in 1912 in
Tucamen. His daughter contracted the disease from the father in
1920. His wife contracted enteric fever in August, 1923, either from
the daughter or father. The child, E.H., contracted the disease from
father or daughter. I found that the daughter was baking the bread
for the family. The aunt, T.H. was next taken ill, no doubt being
infected by the child E.H., with whom she slept. All the members of
the families were inoculated against the disease and no other cases
occurred. These had been the first cases in the Borough for many
months; the discovery of the B. Typhosus in the urine of father and
daughter left no doubt as to the source of the trouble.
House-to-House Inspections. A full record of this work will be
found elsewhere in the tables and records of this Report. Until 1923
house-to-house inspection in this Borough had been confined practically
to homes of the working class. The Local Government Board's view
was that the Local Authorities are not restricted to the inspection of
houses coming within the limitation as to rent laid down in Section 14
of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., 1909, though preference should
be given to those requiring it most. The Council decided to make an
inspection of better class houses, and as the tenants of the same were
not familiar with the fact that inspection was to be expected, it was
agreed that the Medical Officer of Health should give a few days'
notice of the proposed inspection in such houses. Each Inspector was
requested to carry out a total inspection of not less than sixteen houses
each fortnight. In each of the Medical Officer of Health s fortnightly
reports, the address of such houses, together with a statement of the
number of houses in which defects were found, was to be given.