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and clothing can be disinfected, some such ready method as a
post-card should be left for the patients to fill in when recovered,
and it this is not received within a certain time, the
premises should again be visited.
In every case of typhoid fever and diphtheria the drains
ought thoroughly to be tested by the smoke apparatus, and,
although perhaps only a small percentage of them may be found
to be defective, the remedying of such would amply repay the
extra amount of labour expended. Of course, where the occupiers
could show that they could disinfect the rooms themselves
it would only be necessary for us to disinfect the clothing, and
this should be done in each case of small pox, typhus fever,
diphtheria, and scarlet fever. To carry out the above it will
readily be seen that our present sanitary staff is not sufficient
to do this, as I consider the large areas that are allocated to the
present Inspectors, to carry out the inspections of which in an
efficient manner, is quite sufficient to occupy the whole of their
time. I may say the above conclusions have not been arrived
at hastily, as during the last few months I have visited a large
number of these cases, and, from what I have seen, I feel convinced
that the above suggestions should be carried out in their
entirety.
To give you a little illustration as to our present system,
during the months of August, September, and October, there
were in 200 cases notified to us. of which number we only
disinfected 41, and 42 were certified by medical men as not being
necessary; so you will see that, in all probability, fifty per cent.
of the cases notified never got disinfected at all.
I am, your obedient servant,
T. TAYLOR,
DEC. 10th, 1890. Medical Officer of Health.
On the Committee considering the above report they quite
agreed with the various suggestions thrown out by me as to the
future working of this Act, and I shall endeavour with the cooperation
of the Inspectors to take all possible steps towards
mitigating the spread of these diseases.