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washed in a laundry where infectious disease exists, may not be
deemed to be infected ? Again, is not the clothing of attendants
upon the sick infected, and capable of conveying infection, and
should not some restriction be placed on the movements of such
persons ? The importance of these questions, among others, led to
my December report in which they were discussed, being forwarded
to the Local Government Board, in the hope and expectation
that they would see fit to obtain an amendment of the Sanitary
Laws for preventing the spread of contagious diseases. The
Session of Parliament is now far advanced, but I cannot learn that
there is any probability of such legislation, nor am I aware that
your Vestry's communication elicited any expression of opinion from
the Board which is now at the head of the Sanitary Administration
in this country.
Measles.—The deaths from this disease (43) were 14 below the actual
average in 10 years (57) without correction for increase of population ;
16 occurred in the first quarter, 17 in the second, 7 in the third, and
3 in the 4th.
Scarlet Fever was less fatal than in any year since 1866, which, as
before stated, was an exceptionally favourable year, on account of the
low mortality from diseases of the zymotic class. In that year there
were 28 deaths from scarlet fever in a population of 89,000. In 1872
there were 29 deaths, the population having increased to 127,000.
Fourteen deaths were ascribed to Diphtheria.
Whooping Cough killed 77 children, or 27 over the uncorrected average
; 45 died in the first half of the year, and 32 in the second.
The mortality from Fever, (42) was rather below the average of 10
years, (51). Four of the deaths were ascribed to Typhus, 26 to Typhoid,
and ten to simple continued fever. In the autumn several deaths
from' Typhoid were registered in South Kensington. As the prevalence
of this disease is properly regarded as indicating unsanitary conditions;
it being often due to the breathing of sewage tainted air or the drinking
of sewage polluted water, the occurrence of several fatal cases
within a short period and in such a locality excited both anxiety and surprise.
I felt it my duty therefore to make enquiries with a view of
tracing the origin of the outbreak. The result of enquiry, if not satisfactory
in one sense, was in another sense reassuring,for it turned out that
none of the cases originated in the parish. The unfortunate sufferers contracted
the disease during a holiday absence from town in various parts
of the country (one case in Paris), and returned home to sicken and
die. This incident strongly illustrates a danger which few perhaps
bear sufficiently in mind when leaving home in pursuit of health or recreation.
I may add that only one death, and indeed only one case,
occurred in each of the several houses alluded to, which, moreover, were
somewhat widely separated. The disease did not spread and nothing
more has been heard of it in the same localities to date of this report.
Diarrhoea was fatal to 110 persons, of whom 2 died in the first quarter,
5 in the second, 97 in the third, and 6 in the 4th. This mortality,
though in excess of the actual average deaths in 10 years (94) is con-