View report page

9
ingestion of poisonous germs conveyed in water, milk, &c.;
and simple continued fever. Of the 9 deaths from fever,
one was attributed to typhus, seven to typhoid or gastric,
and one to continued fever. This shows an improvement, as
during 1872 14 deaths were attributed to this disease, the
annual average of ten years being 18.9.
Diarrhoea caused 29 deaths, seven less than the number
registered in 1872, 29.5 being the average of 10 years. This
disease happily did not assume an epidemic form, as it is so
apt to do when the temperature is high and there is little
movement in the atmosphere, from absorption of effluvia
caused by the want of preventive attention to the rapid decomposition
of animal and vegetable matter.
In England and Wales, during the year 1873, the mortality
from these seven principal zymotic diseases amounted
to 11,385, a number below the average of ten years, or at the
rate of 2.9 per 1000 population, against 4.5, 4.6, 3.8 in the
three years 1870, 1871, 1872 respectively.
Before leaving the subject of these seven principal
zymotic diseases, I may again venture to draw your attention
to this fact, that they are said to be preventable, i. e., if
sanitary regulations were perfect they would not occur. And
supposing under other circumstances that one case of the
disease has occurred, by carrying out well-known sanitary
principles it might be nipped in the bud. But too little
is usually thought of spreading infection to others, and
frequent communication is kept up between the sick and the
healthy; wearing apparel, bed-linen, &c., is sent to the laundress
without preliminary disinfection, and is mixed up with
the clothing of the healthy, or in some instances may be
washed and "got up" in the very room where a sick person
is lying.
These dangers would in a great measure be avoided if the
officers of the Board were put into possession of information as
to the occurrence of every case of infectious disease, for in
many instances the patient might be removed to the hospital
provided for such emergencies. Forms of circulars for