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51
84. In my Annual Report for 1904, some figures were given
as to the "Public House as a Source of Infection" and "Chronic
Tuberculosis in Children." (See page 50 of that Report).
The Managers of licensed houses were all visited and supplied
with one or more notices asking customers not to spit on the
floor. Such notices are generally hung up when supplied, but
soon displaced. It is a pity publicans do not realize that it is to
their advantage, and that of their servants, to discourage spitting
on the floor, and to keep the floor cleansed with disinfectants.
85. Disinfection was performed by the Public Health Department
at 169 premises, compared with 108, 192, and 142 in the
three preceding years. Of these 130 were disinfected after the
death of the patient, and 39 after removal to hospital, sanatorium
or on other opportunity.
86. Sanatorium Treatment.— In August, 1903, your Council
commenced to maintain two beds at the Peppard Common
Sanatorium, and in May, 1904, increased the number to three.
To begin with, patients were kept in the Sanatorium for three
months. For educational purposes, it is desirable that a large
number of patients shoidd spend a short time at the Sanatorium,
and for a limited number who may be expected to make a complete
recovery a longer stay is necessary. For this reason, in October,
1905, it was decided to use the three existing beds for two months'
treatment, and to maintain three more beds for four months'
further treatment for such patients as required it, and were likely
to be permanently benefited. (See Annual Report, 1904, p. 51,
and Council's Minutes for April 13th, 1905, paragraph 17).
Later on, it was considered that two months was unnecessarily
long for purely educational treatment, and usually too short to be
of permanent curative benefit. It was accordingly decided, in
June, 1906, to use two beds only for one month's educational
treatment, leaving four beds for five months' prolonged treatment
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