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others having care of young children, to the great advisability of
boiling all water and milk used for feeding such children and to
the care to be taken as to the sound condition of every article of
food for children, anything not fresh being withheld, and fruit
especially if in the slightest degree decomposed ; and further
directing attention to the great value of cleanliness of person and
dwellings, with frequent flushing of house drains, for which
purpose disinfectants in case of illness are supplied free of
charge on application to the Public Health Department.
It is hoped that much good is done and many lives saved by
this means.
Influenza.
From this disease, which is doubtless one to be included
amongst the zymotics, forty-four deaths were recorded in the
Parish during the year, although it is highly probable that the
mortality is much greater, being represented by deaths from
respiratory and other diseases following Influenza. It is clearly
a malady in which strict isolation should be observed, although it
has not yet been clearly proved as to the extent of the period of
quarantine. In consequence of its undue prevalence in the latter
part of the year, the usual handbill of precautions to be adopted
against Influenza was re-issued, advising the public of the
extremely infectious character of the disease, and pointing out
that to those exposing themselves whilst in an infectious condition
the spread and maintenance of the disease is chiefly due, the
breath of those so affected being probably the principal medium
of infection, and further that the early symptoms of Influenza are
chiefly chills and shivering accompanied by great muscular
weakness and prostration, often amounting to inability to stand
or move, with pains in the spine or other parts of the body; and
urging that persons thus affected should at once go to bed and
there remain until convalescence is established, in order to avoid
the danger of Pneumonia or Bronchitis which are the chief