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having their children "corrupted" by vaccination. The result is that
any protection against small-pox handed down from the parents' cells
to the child is dying out, and now we find that small-pox is settling
down quietly as a welcome guest in our country. The wicked vaccinators
who have made money through vaccinating the public are put in
their place, so all is well. Just so. Meanwhile, with regard to
diphtheria, I saw and examined 937 people at the Town Hall during
1923. Practically all of these were contacts of notified cases, though
occasionally a child was sent from a school suffering from a sore throat.
Again the Invalid Children's Aid Association sent children for a swab
before admitting the same to one of their homes in the country. Of
the 937, 522 were examined, 415 were swabbed, of whom 344 were
"negative" and 71 "positive." The large number swabbed will not
be repeated, in fact those swabbed in the last quarter were few compared
with the first quarter of the year.
Two contacts who came to the Town Hall were found to be
suffering from clinical diphtheria, and were sent off to hospital forthwith.
In all positive cases rigorous treatment was carried out. Our usual
practice now is to see that all contacts obtain formamint tablets for the
fauces. Several children were referred to the school clinics owing to
the presence of enlarged tonsils and adenoids. Much school time was
saved by giving re-admission certificates to contacts of school age whose
throats did not give rise to any suspicion. This work, I am convinced,
is of considerable value. It may be a coincidence that the number of
cases of diphtheria has diminished. Diphtheria, however, will never be
extinguished until the Shick test and toxin-antitoxin injections are used.
It can be done, and the first step in this direction is public education.
Rat Work. Inspector Yates carried out 128 inspections in connection
with rat infestation in dwelling houses, shops, timber yards,
stores, etc. In the majority of cases the cause of the nuisance was
traced to defective drains which, when reconstructed or repaired led to
an abatement of the nuisance. In several instances rats gained entry
into premises from open spaces. Places which afforded harbourage
were cleared and all means of obtaining food were cut off by making
premises rat proof. Traps and rat poisons were of great service. The
age and construction of some buildings in certain areas in the Borough
make the task of rat extermination a more difficult one than would
otherwise be the case, but owners and occupiers have been most helpful
in leaving no stone unturned to quell the rodents.