View report page

12
district but was very prevalent all over the Metropolis; and so
acute did it become at one period that the Hospitals were taxed
to their utmost, and could not admit all the cases that required
removal; we had as many as a dozen cases waiting for days and
they had in some instances to share the living and bedrooms
with the healthy members of the same family. Seeing that we
had 1,199 cases notified during the year and only 42 deaths
shows the mild nature of the epidemic. In every case a notice
was served on the householders calling their attention to the
provisions of the Public Health Act relating to Infectious
Diseases, and providing them with Postal Cards to notify to me
when the patient was so far recovered as to enable disinfection
to be carried out. In each case an inspection of the premises
was made and the various School Authorities notified of the
disease.
TYPHOID FEVER.
During the past year we have had 152 cases of this disease
notified to us, it did not appear in an epidemic form, and was
not confined to any particular part of our Hamlet. In all the
cases the house drains were tested 35 of which were found
to be defective, last year we had 78 cases notified and the year
previous 101 cases, so that this year there is a marked increase.
The fact that so many of the drains were found to be defective
leads us to infer that defective drainage plays a very important
part in the dissemination of this disease; where a number of
houses are connected with the same drain (combined drainage)
as they are to a large extent in our district, it may readily be
supposed that where these drains are found to be defective, the
fact of the excrete from Typhoid patients being carried away
through them, that the germs of this disease are disseminated in
this manner; it is therefore a matter of the greatest moment
that the drainage of houses should be as sound as possible, and
although the fact of ascertaining the drainage of the houses
connected with the 35 cases was defective, and remedying the
same, does not benefit the patients, it however for the future
Prevents the escape of sewer gas into the houses which is well
known to be a fertile source through which disease of this
character spreads.
DIPHTHERIA.
The number of cases of this disease notified to me during the
past year was 356, of which 77 were removed to Isolation
Hospitals. I have strong reason to believe that a number of these
cases were not true Diphtheria but what are termed Diphtheritic
sore throat, which may mean anything between simple congestion
and ulcerative tonsillitis; since the Notification Act came into
operation the number of cases of this disease has rapidly
increased and it is difficult to form a true estimate as to its
reality in our district. The number of deaths registered from
this disease was 71. In order however to be on the safe side