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the notice of the Inspectors. In all cases where the infected person
is not properly lodged, his removal to hospital is advised. The
danger of sending clothes out of infected rooms is pointed out, and
persons who take in mangling are cautioned to discontinue that
practice while infectious disease exists in their house. Parents are
also advised not to send their children to school during the existence
of small-pox in their houses, and information of the existence of
small pox is given at the school where the children attend. All the
rooms in which small pox occur are disinfected, and the bedding,
clothes, &c., in such rooms are removed to the disinfecting apparatus,
and there subjected to such heat as will destroy the contagious
matter in them; but when the bedding and clothes are found to be
very old and in a very filthy state, such articles are destroyed, and
new bedding is supplied. It has been found that by speaking kindly
to persons, and explaining to them the necessity of precautions being
taken to prevent the extension of the disease, the advice is kindly
received, and usually complied with.
The Medical Officers of the Union and the Relieving Officers
promptly send to the Sanitary Officers of the Board information of
all cases of infectious disease which come under their notice. A very
satisfactory result of the inspection of houses, and the care manifested
by the several officers of the District, is shown by the large number
of successful vaccinations which are performed by the Public
Vaccinator of the District; there being in the half-year ended June
18th, 1298 successful vaccinations out of 1464 registered births. For
further particulars on this important subject, the Board is respectfully
referred to page 8 of my last Quarterly report. Notwithstanding
all the care that is taken to induce parents to get their children
vaccinated, there is a large number of them who remain unvaccinated,
and these are children who were not born in the District.
At page XXXI. of the report of the Registrar-General for the year
1873, the following remarks are made:—"It is interesting to compare
the mortality from small pox in various cities during the first
Quarter of 1870. The annual death-rate from this disease in the first
three months of the year was equal to 3 per 1000 of the estimated
population in London, 8 per 1000 in Liverpool, and 13 in South
Shields ; in Brussels it was 9, in Bombay 1.4, and in New York 0.8 per
1000 respectively. Returns from the Dutch towns were only received
for January and February; during those two months the annual
death-rate from small-pox was equal to 48 per 1000 in The Hague, 36