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less likely is it to occur at all; and not only so, but that even
supposing it to occur eventually the less likely it is to end fatally."
The value of the foregoing conclusions is thus stated by the
leading Medical journal: "Such conclusions should not only
strengthen the hands of medical officers of health in their
endeavours to combat infectious disease by isolation, but should
secure the more intelligent co-operation of the public in the same
direction. If there is still a lingering doubt in some quarters as to
the separation from its family of a child attacked by Scarlet Fever
being worth the trouble and expense it involves, on the ground
that the other children are almost certain to contract this disease
at some future time, and that therefore they may as well have it at
once, the above-mentioned conclusions of the Registrar-General
cannot be too widely disseminated."
Before leaving this branch of my Report, I have to mention
that within a short period of time there were five cases of Typhus
Fever removed to hospital. Three occurred in Ely Place, and two
in Osborn Court. I could not discover any cause to which I could
specially attribute this sporadic outbreak, but I rejoice to say that
no notification has been received of fresh cases. It is worthy of
mention that so rare has this disease become that the medical
gentlemen who reported these cases failed to appreciate the
symptoms correctly, and they were received into the hospital as
cases of "Enteric Fever."
Failing from an examination of the circumstances surrounding
the above cases to identify a cause, I am driven to take advantage
of the views recently advanced by Dr. Aitken, in a remarkable
book, on the Origin of some Diseases by or through the physiological
processes going on during life. In this work it is well
argued that certain alkaloid poisons known to be produced in the
body after death—and called ptomaines and leucomaines, are
capable of being formed in the animal organism during life, as a
result of normally elaborated, but toxic products. Thus Sir
William Aitken accounts for the production of certain diseases,
such as Fatigue Fever and Typhus Fever of armies and of camps,
and also of Typhoid Fever when of spontaneous origin.