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body by the boys licking their fingers and wetting the string
with their saliva.
"Vaccination,'' against typhoid fever has been performed
a great deal during the year, especially upon medical officers
of the army and Indian medical services. Eighty-three persons
were so vaccinated at the Barming asylum.
Owing to the outbreaks of typhoid fever during the year in
various parts of England the Vestry ordered "that a systematic
house-to-house visitation be made by the inspectors
throughout their respective districts, with special reference to
the provisions for storage and supply of water, and in connection
therewith to the general condition of the houses inspected;
and that periodical reports be made thereon to the
Committee."
Erysipelas.
Fourteen cases occurred in St. Margaret's parish and 53 in
St. John's, compared with 22 and 54 cases respectively last
year. Two deaths occurred in St. Margaret's parish and one
in St. John's.
Phthisis and Room-density.
"Dr. A. K. Chalmers, one of the medical officers of health for
Glasgow, has recently published a report dealing with the distribution
of tuberculous disease in that city, in which he shows
that in each district where the phthisis death-rate exceeds the
mean, there also the room-density of the district is in excess.
By the term "room-density" Dr. Chalmers explains that he has
regard not so much to the number of rooms per house, or to the
varying cubic space per room, as to the care which is exercised
in providing efficient ventilation. He is satisfied that as a
general rule, though it is subject to explainable exceptions, the
increase or decrease in the death-rate from phthisis varies with
the increase or decrease respectively of room-density. The
relation, however, between the two may be modified by the
presence or absence of other conditions, and probably the roomdensity
must attain a certain degree of intensity before its effect
becomes appreciable. Dr. Chalmers considers that it acquires
setiological value only when it also becomes the numerical expression
of certain other factors, all tending like itself to produce
impurity in the air of dwellings."
The above remarks apply, in many cases, to some houses in
Westminster, and the carrying out of the by-laws as to
"houses let in lodgings" should go far to lessen cases of
phthisis; but unless constant observation be kept on the
premises, overcrowding is bound to occur.