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115
(2) Mr. S., an old pensioner, kept his room so dirty that
the nuisance was complained of by neighbours. Windows
tightly closed and all chinks stuffed with newspapers, blind
always kept down, fireplace closed up, and room heated by oil
stove. Mr. S. was so much afraid of the cold and damp
that he never indulged in a wash, but rubbed himself with
mustard oil, and kept his ears and nostrils packed with
pieces of newspaper. The bed and room were extremely
filthy and had a foetid smell. Written notices were served,
and the nuisance was abated, the room and bedding being
thoroughly cleansed.
(3) Mrs. C., in receipt of small income, lived alone in one
back room. I found her lying in a very emaciated and
collapsed condition, suffering from what was afterwards
notified as phthisis. No doctor in attendance. The bedding
was covered with lice and fifth. There was dried expectoration
on the floor at the bedside. The room was very dirty,
window closed, and quantities of dirty clothing and stale food
about. An order was obtained and patient removed to the
Infirmary, the day after my visit. The bedding and room
were afterwards thoroughly disinfected and cleansed.
It will be noted that 923 visits were paid to homes reported
to be verminous or dirty. Of these 37 were found to be overcrowded,
130 had dirty bedding, 91 had filthy bedding, and
320 had verminous bedding; in 225 cases the rooms were
exceedingly dirty. All these cases were dealt with either
by written or verbal notice and were revisited until improvement
was effected. In those cases where verminous bedding
was found, the occupier was given the choice between providing
new bedding or its enforced disinfection. When it is
pointed out that a truss of good clean straw may be obtained