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The information as to previous vaccination is too vague to be
relied on. The disease was known to exist in 86 houses, in 142
streets; viz.: in 164 houses in 72 streets in the North, and 122
houses in 70 streets in the South Sanitary District. Every case was
duly visited as soon as it became known, and no effort was spared
to effect removal to a hospital whenever necessary.
The houses in which the disease appeared were disinfected—
during the latter part of the epidemic by an officer appointed
for the purpose—and steps were taken to ensure the proper
disinfection of infected wearing apparel, bedding, &c., &c. Two
of the contractor's men engaged in this work took the disease,
and one of them died. I am not acquainted with a single case
in which the disease could be traced to retained infectiveness in
rooms, or in clothing, &c., that had been disinfected ; and I mention
this not only as an evidence of the care and thoroughness
with which the work was carried out, but also as a proof of
the efficacy of the processes adopted.
It affords me great satisfaction to testify that the Sanitary Inspectors
performed their duties in connection with the epidemic,
difficult as those duties often were, and dangerous always, with
exemplary fidelity.
Fever.—The subject of "Fever" was much discussed in 1876,
owing to a published statement by a well-known parishioner that
"typhoid fever waschronic in South Kensington." This statement,
unsupported by a single fact, was shown at the time to be
erroneous. I think it desirable, nevertheless, in this annual
report, to refer again to the subject.
The total deaths from " Fever " in the year were 37, according
to the Registrar General—16 below the corrected decennial
average. Six of these deaths, all in the "Town" sub-district
were returned as simple continued fever, and three, in the same district
as typhus fever. With respect to the last named disease
I shall only observe that every year two or three deaths are certified
from this cause, but seeing that the cases, notwithstanding the extremely
infectious character of the disease, have invariably occurred
singly and in separate localities, it may be allowable to question
whether the several deaths may not have been due to some other
disease assuming a " typhoid " form at the last ?
Enteric fever is made accountable for 27 deaths, 25 of them in
the " Town " and two only in the " Brompton sub-district." The
first of the deaths from Typhoid fever in Brompton occurred in
Yeoman's Row, one of the poorest streets in the parish, the
victim being a child in the fourth year of his age ; and
the other in Finborough Road, on the Redcliffe estate, the
deceased being described as a " gentleman," 38 years of age.
With reference to the latter case, the medical man who attended the