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Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health—1871—72. 9
Table will show the number of deaths that have been caused by the. principal zymotic
diseases, during the last ten years.

The origin of some of the above diseases is closely connected with the way in which
ire get rid of our sewage. The most natural and most economical mode would be, to distribute
it upon the laud, and thus return it to the place from whence it was taken. This
seems the probable use that will be made of it. However, this plan is not free from danger.
The sewage may drain into the rivers from which our water supply is taken, carrying
pith it the seeds of fever and cholera. The terrible outburst of the latter, in the East of
London during the cholera epidemic, was chiefly referred to this cause. There is another
disease, which an authority some time back declared would be spread broadcast over the
land, and which caused considerable alarm and discussion. Sewage undoubtedly contains
the ova or eggs of various kinds of parasites, and which consequently would be spread
along with the medium in which they existed, and thus our cattle would eat them and become
infected, and we should eat the cattle and become infected likewise. A suspicion
complete in all its parts, and one of a most disagreeable kind. Fortunately, this matter
has been thoroughly put to the test and cleared up. Mr. Hope, a gentleman who has had
more experience in sewage-farming than any other man living, had an animal slaughtered,
That had been born of parents fed on sewage produce, and which itself had also been fed
on sewage produce, and that of the roughest kind, as the outside leaves of cabbages, the
rakings of rye-grass and the like. The animal was most rigidly and most minutely examined
by a Committee of Scientific Experts, the result of which was, that they reported
" the perfect freedom of that animal from internal parasites of any kind." The thanks of
the community are due to this gentleman for thus taking the labour and the expense of
effectually and decisively allaying the fears so generally and reasonably excited.
Deaths from diseases of the brain and nerves show a decrease of 37 compared with
those in the year 1870-71. During the last three years these diseases have been upon the
decrease, but only to a very slight extent.