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8
SCARLET FEVER
The prevailing epidemic of this disease rapidly increased in severity
as the year advanced, and causcd 220 deaths. The severity of the
epidemic made large demands on the time and energies of your officers.
Scarlet Fever was more fatal than in any year since 1870.
DIPHTHERIA
was more fatal than in any of the preceding ten years. It causcd
55 deaths.
HOOPING COUGH
told with great severity upon weakly children, of whom 232 succumbed.
This disease is so eminently contagious, and our means of
preventing its extensions in the earlier stages so inadequate, that when
once a few cases get imported into a district, the disease is certain
to spread spite of all precautions.
FEVER.
I am happy to state that the Parish was never in my experience, so
free from typhus and typhoid (enteric) fever; and the mortality (58)
from these diseases was only half that of the average of the preceding
ten years.
DIARRHŒA
was also distinctly less fatal than usual, the deaths being 25 per cent.
below the average rate of the preceding ten years, and lower than in
any one of those years.
The large demands made upon the energies of your officers by the
existence of so much preventible disease, by the necessity of periodical
inspection of the worst portions of the Parish under the Sanitary Act,
1866, and by a resolution of the Vestry, asking for information with
a view to proceedings under a Statute of the last Session of Parliament
resulted in temporary embarrassment; and the obvious inability of
one of your then Inspectors to deal with his district induced me to
represent to the Vestry the need which existed for a more extended
staff. I am happy to state that the extension of the staff, and the
re-arrangement of duties which eventually resulted, is, I believe, already
bearing good fruit; and I hope to be able to secure a more
thorough and frequent periodical inspection of the Parish than
heretofore.
SLAUGHTER-HOUSES.
A great improvement is observable in these places. It has rarely
been necessary to enforce the Bye-laws relating to them by legal