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32. Sanitary Condition and Drainage.— The cow-house was
not in a very cleanly condition. The roof was full of cobwebs,
and the cow-dung not swept back on any of my visits. It was
well-ventilated and properly drained. The water-closet of the
house was satisfactory, as regarded the apparatus. The drains
of the house were tested with the smoke machine, and found
very defective, but the defects were all outside the buildings.
there was, however, escape of smoke in an area outside the
window of the cellar, where the milk was creamed, and where
the condensed-milk tins were found. The rain-water pipes
were in direct connection with the drains, and there was a
defective gully outside the can-house.
33. Incidence of the Disease.—The disease attacked 74
males and 103 females : 28 were under 5 years of age, 41 from
5 to 10, 57 from 10 to 20, 45 from 20 to 40, and 6 over 40.
One patient was 71 years old. He had a slight attack, and
was at his occupation (Analyst's Inspector) within four weeks.
(See table A.)
34. In my house-to-house inspection of the streets most
affected I met with several cases of infants and young children
who were out of sorts, and had diarrhoea. I think, probably,
some of them were mild cases of Enteric, but they were not
notified. The cases presented the ordinary symptoms, and
usually had diarrhoea. 113 went to Hospital, and 64 were
treated at home. Up to the end of July there were 13 deaths
at Hospital and 10 at home.
35. Death-rate. — Thus the case death-rate was 11 per cent.
at Hospital and 15 per cent at home.
The case death-rate for Plumstead in the three years (1892,
1893, and 1894), was 22 per cent. This lower death-rate at
Hospital is highly satisfactory, and is probably mainly due to
the more careful feeding that Hospital patients have.
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