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34
The diseases of a zymotic character have been principally—
scarlatina, 170; measles, 84; fever, 52; and diarrhoea, 113. Whooping
cough killed 34 children; from small pox only four deaths are
returned: this must be considered very satisfactory as compared with the
returns of the last few years, during the previous year 29 having died of
that complaint.
The Parishioners must be glad to know that an officer has been appointed
to ascertain that Vaccination is properly carried out. The disease has been
almost entirely exterminated from many States on the Continent, and to a
great extent from Ireland; there is therefore no reason why it should not
be expelled from our own country, if efficient Vaccination were carried out.
A new Act of Parliament connected with Sanitary matters has come
into operation during the past year, "The Workshop Regulation Act," to
limit the hours of labour to young persons and children. The principal
trade in your Parish carried on under this Act, is that of Milliners; and
according to your instructions, printed notices have been served by your
Inspectors, upon all the Owners of these Establishments, who were known
to come within the meaning of the Act.
I have appended as usual a list of the complaints, visits made in consequence,
and amount of work done during the past year, in a tabular form.
We have fortunately not been obliged to resort to legal proceedings in
many cases, as landlords of houses have, as a rule, carried out works
required of them to my satisfaction, without the necessity of legal interference.
I still notice that about 1.75 per cent. of the total number of deaths are
returned as uncertified by a Medical practitioner. Sufficient attention has
not hitherto been given to this subject, and it shews, that not only is it
not necessary to register the birth of a child, but that the Registrar can
give an Order for Burial on his own responsibility.
•
The following return shows the amount of work performed by your two
Sanitary Inspectors, from March 25th, 1868, to the same date in 1869.
This represents the number of complaints attended to, and of Notices, &c.
served; but, as in very many cases nuisances are removed, without official
notices being served, they are of course not recorded in this report.
I regret that the system of a constant water supply has not yet been
afforded to the poorer localities of London. The water, improved as it is,
by obtaining it from above tidal influence, is given with such scarcity in
many cases, that cleanliness is with difficulty preserved.