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94
committee also entered into arrangements with certain
gentlemen having surgeries, to provide at their surgeries
cholera-medicines and disinfectants, to be dispensed
gratuitously night and day to all applicants. For the
most part the gentlemen nominated to act as visitors, were
appointed also to provide medicines, &c. gratuitously;
an exception being made in the case of Dr. Johnson, whose
surgery was not within the district for which he had been
nominated visitor. Mr. Baker's shop was therefore selected
for the purpose in place of Dr. Johnson's surgery. As
soon as the latter appointments had been accepted, printed
bills were extensively circulated and posted stating where
and on what terms astringent medicines and disinfectants
were to be obtained And these dispensaries were kept
open for a period of 10 weeks, which expired on the 23rd
October. It should be added that several of the gentlemen,
who kept these open dispensaries, attended also cholera
and diarrhoeal patients who applied to them in virtue of
their appointment; and that for this extra work extra
remuneration was subsequently accorded to them.
The scale of remuneration which was adopted, was as
follows:— for Medical Visitor, £1 1s. per diem; for
Assistant Medical Visitor, 10s. 6d. per diem; for
keeping open dispensary, a retaining fee of £l 1s. per
week, with payment for medicine supplied at the rate of
from 10s. to 12s. per dozen bottles.
It was not considered necessary to appoint Medical
Visitors, excepting in one ward. It is true that early in
the epidemic the number of cholera-deaths registered was