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reportable under penalty in default. Upon receipt of a
notification the residence of the patient is visited, and
the condition of the premises carefully investigated;
the doctor in attendance is communicated with and
certain particulars are obtained from him which are
forwarded to the Medical Officer to the London County
Council. Should the case have occurred in the practice
of a midwife I see her and endeavour to trace the
source of the disease. I instruct her as to quarantine
&c., and require certain methods of disinfection to be
carried out; I also usually advise a short holiday in the
country before resuming practice.
No. 5 of the rules framed by the Central Midwives'
Board provides as follows:—
5. Whenever a Midwife has been in attendance upon a
patient suffering from Puerperal Fever or any other
illness supposed to be infectious, she must disinfect
herself and all her instruments and other appliances
to the satisfaction of the Local Sanitary Authority, and
must have her clothing thoroughly disinfected before
going to another labour. Unless otherwise directed by
the local supervising authority, all washable clothing
should be boiled and other clothing should be sent to
be stoved (by the local sanitary authority), and then
exposed freely to the open air for several days.
RESPIRATORY DISEASES.
The deaths from diseases of the respiratory organs
exclusive of Phthisis numbered 528 and formed 21.8
per cent. of the total mortality from all causes. This
is equal to a rate of 4.0 per thousand population at all
ages. Nearly half the respiratory deaths (216) were
amongst young children, a mortality of 12T per
thousand on the estimated population under five.