View report page

63
mortuary might ultimately be placed under the charge of the
keeper of the old Vestry Hall, thus reducing the annual expense
to an insignificant minimum.
In some of my former reports I have advocated the combination
of a disinfecting chamber on the same site with the mortuary
with the object of keeping down the charge for attendance, &c.
Should the scheme for the erection of a mortuary in the
churchyard be carried into effect, the two buildings could not
be associated. It would then become a question whether it is
necessary to provide such a chamber at all, seeing how well the
plan of contracting for the performance of disinfection has
worked—especially since the contractor has enlarged his premises,
and thus made provision for dealing with the clothing, bedding,
&c., of small pox and scarlet fever patients apart from all other
infected things? A Committee of your Vestry gave great attention
to the question of providing a chamber, referred to them
in 1870, and we should doubtless have had one long ago, but
that it was found impracticable to secure a site. The experience
of the last two years, however (and it has been great owing to the
prevalence of small pox), has satisfied me that the existing system
of contracting is economical, expeditious, efficient, and more
advantageous to the poor than any other. The contractor
sends for the infected things by special messenger immediately on
receipt of an order, and they are not only disinfected (by heat and
chemical agency), but they are also cleansed and returned in a
wholesome state to the owners. The latter part of the process
could not be carried out if your Vestry had a disinfecting
chamber of whatever construction.
During the twelve months ended 25th March, articles of
an endless variety have been disinfected, which weighed upwards
of eleven tons, and the total charge for the work of disinfection
and cleansing was £236 6s. Now, supposing that your
Vestry should build a suitable chamber, it would be necessary to
employ a staff of assistants to fetch and deliver the clothes, bedding,
&c., and to attend to the apparatus whatever the state of
health of the parish qua infectious disease. Under the present plan
payment is made only for work done, so that in the absence of epidemics
the charge is insignificant, and the average annual charge
is much below what it probably would be if your Vestry provided
a chamber.
Not less important than the disinfection of clothing and bedding
is the disinfection of the rooms, &c., occupied by the sick. Finding
that in the majority of cases this work could not be efficiently
carried out by the poor—and feeling that it was useless to purify
the contents of the sick room if the room itself was left in an infectious
state—I advised your Vestry to undertake the duty, and
it has been done since May, 1877 ;no fewer than 360 dwelling