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Measles are spread by means of schools and other places of public
resort, renders it very difficult for the Sanitary authorities to exercise
any efficient check upon the spread of these maladies; and, I may
add, with two inspectors, for a population of 227,000, almost impossible.
Nevertheless, by visiting all the houses where the Measles had
proved fatal, and by cautioning the parents, and also by visiting the
infected schools, some check was put upon their extension.
There is nothing that calls for special remark in the mortality from
other contagious and infectious diseases. The accompanying tables
give details of the mortality from all the chief zymotic diseases.
SMALL POX AND VACCINATION.
Only two deaths occurred in the parish from Small Pox, and, I
believe the cases of this disease were exceedingly few.
I am indebted to the courtesy of Mr. A. Robertson, the Vaccination
Officer, for the appended table relative to Vaccination during the first
half year of 1873. I regret that I am unable to give a table for the
complete year.
SLAUGHTER-HOUSES.
Your Medical Officer was called upon to give evidence before the
Select Committee of the House of Commons relative to noxious
businesses. As my evidence has been made public through a Blue
Book, I need not further advert to it. Legislation on the subject is
promised during the present Session of Parliament.
All the Slaughter-houses in the parish were visited by the Sanitary
Committee before the Annual Licensing Day. Many defects were
thus brought under the direct notice of the Sanitary Committee.
There are 83 licensed Slaughter-houses in St. Pancras Parish.
COW SHEDS.
The Sanitary Committee also visited all the Cow Sheds previous to
the Licensing Day, and this resulted in a manifest improvement iu
the condition of many of the sheds.
The dispute between the Vestry and the Justices was happily
settled by a compromise, after a discussion between the Vestry Clerk,
myself, and the J ustices, and 800 cubic feet of space was settled as a
minimum. All the licensed cowkeepers signed agreements to observe
this regulation; and from the reports of the inspectors the agreement
appears, as a rule, to have been pretty generally observed.
SANITARY WORKS.
A Table is appended, drawn up by the Clerk, giving details of
work carried out by the Sanitary Department during the year.
GAS SUPPLY.
The average illuminating power of the Gas supplied at the