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best appointed in the District, and the sanitary arrangements
such as to preclude the possibility of the milk becoming contaminated
on the premises by any of the means through which
the infection of Enteric Fever is conveyed.
As so much has been revealed of late years respecting the insanitary
condition of Dairy Farms causing the spread of Enteric
Fever through the medium of milk, it behoves every Medical
Officer of Health to be on the alert for snch cause whenever
Enteric Fever may appear in his District; but while exercising
every vigilanco against the invasion of the disease from that
source, a wise discretion should be observed, lest he may too
hastily condemn the milk supply, to tho serious injury of the
trader.
It may be accepted as a rule, that where Enteric Fever is
caused by infected milk, it occurs in groups of cases in different
families, and within a limited area; but where, in the winter
season of the year, when it is generally rife in a district, the
cases are isolated and widely scattered, Drain Fever is indicated.
In the course of my enquiries it was found that several of the
affected persons never took any other than condensed milk, and
although I have no reason to suspect that in any of the cases
the poison of Enteric Fever might have been conveyed through
this channel, it occurred to me that since there are so many
preparations in the market, such a contingency is possible, and
that in event of this happening, the temperature to which the
milk is subjected during its manufacture would not suffice to
destroy the contagium.
Of Simple Continued Fever, 21 persons died during the year.
The deaths from Diarrhoea were 85 less than in the previous
year, the greatest mortality occurring in the September quarter.
During the year, 803 cases of attacks of Zymotic Diseases
were reported to tho Vestry, comprising 509 Small Pox, 15
Measles, 131 Scarlet Fever, 12 Diphtheria, and 70 different
forms of Fever.
In every instance the premises wore inspected, and all neces-