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2
The high mortality which we notice here has been observable
throughout London. One or two deaths from what is termed "English
cholera" and "choleraic diarrhoea" have been recorded each week by
the Registrar General. Another warning consists in the prevalence of
" influenza" pretty generally in London—a disease which has commonly
in this country been the precursor of epidemic cholera. It has not
been of a severe type, and although cases have been tolerably numerous
in the practice of private medical men here, the disease either has not
been so marked in its character, or has not been recognized in the
public practice in the parish. I have recorded two deaths of old people
from this disease during the month.
I desire, especially, to urge upon all householders in the parish the
paramount necessity there is at the present time, that they should see to
the careful cleansing of their water cisterns and water-butts—that they
should lose no time in taking this very simple and easy precaution—
and having cleansed them now, that they should repeat the operation
every two or three weeks, at the furthest, during the coming summer;
for although.the water is delivered by the New River Company, as
pure as a public system of filtration can be well expected to rendej it,
a deposit invariably occurs in the private receptacles after a short time,
and this deposit, always deleterious, is in certain seasons absolutely
poisonous. Within the last week I have seen, in a family where my
opinion was asked, symptoms arise from this cause which were very
similar to those commonly produced by the irritant poisons, and my
experience has led me to observe a similar result on several former
occasions. Five cases of "enteric fever" also have just been sent to
the hospital from a tidy and well-drained house in Upper Holloway,
due to no other cause than the use of drinking water from a cistern
which, to judge by the appearance of the water, could never have been
cleansed since the house was built. The cistern was most inconveniently
situated for cleansing.
Another thing that householders should do, is to insist upon the
dustmen removing frequently from their premises all the household
refuse, and in case of neglect on their part, or in case of absolute
refusal to do so, or refusal without some payment being made, to make
known the neglect or refusal, by letter, to the Sanitary Committee, or
to myself. Although the dustmen are bound by contract to remove
vegetable and other household refuse, it is always advisable that such
matters should be burned, instead of being placed in the dust-hole to
undergo decomposition.