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4
Medical Officer's Report.
On the last occasion 9 houses were inspected to see how far the notices
had been complied with. Only 3 out of 40 rooms were then overcrowded.
In the one case in which the time given in the statutory notice had expired
a summons was taken out, but it was dismissed by the Magistrate.
The owners had a printed notice in Itilian and English put up in every
room, stating the greatest number of persons allowed by this District Board
if used for sleeping and living; also the greatest number if for sleeping only.
Much attention was also given to maintain the houses of the Italian
Colony in a clean and sanitary state.
The Union Buildings Area between Leather Lane and Gray's Inn Road
was represented by me under Part I. of the Housing of the Working Classes
Act. For details see pages 16 to 20.
The improvement in the condition of the Meat Market continues, for the
amount of diseased meat " seized " was less than that of the preceding year,
and less than one-fourth that " seized " in the first quarter of 1896, just after
the appointment of the Meat Inspector.
The bacteriological examination of doubtful cases of diphtheria has been
continued by the Jenner (late British) Institute of Preventive Medicine, at
the expense of the Board. Of 109 such cases, the diphtheria bacillus was
isolated in 35 of them. The majority of the cases were patients at the
London Homceopathic Hospital. This does not include the examination of
the doubtful cases that attend the Children's Hospital, which is carried out by
their own staff.
The Metropolitan Asylums Board was able to receive all the cases of
scarlet fever and diphtheria that required to be removed to their hospitals.
In October and November on account of the large increase of cases of
typhoid fever in London, and notwiihstanding the arrangements made with
other hospitals, there was some delay in the removal of a few of our cases.
Many of our cases of diphtheria were received at the Children's and
Homceopathic Hospitals.
The treatment of diphtheria by antitoxic serum still continues to give
satisfactory results.
Since the 25 th March, 1896, the Board's contract has provided for the
removal of house refuse at least once a week. Many of the notices that dust
has not been removed show that the contract is not strictly carried out, and
the Contractor's attention to the matter has frequently been requested by the
Board. The first quarter of the year there was such a large increase in the
number of notices that the Contractor was requested to appoint another