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and a few of these, which would otherwise have been overlooked,
were subsequently certified as true cases, when the
parent or person in charge of the patient followed the suggestion
or request of the Inspector to call in a Medical Practitioner.
In addition to the usual enquiries as to the history and
source of infection, a thorough examination of the sanitary
arrangements of the houses were made, and at 86 premises
various defects were found to exist, and accordingly remedied.
The outbreak of Scarlet Fever in June, caused by an
infected milk supply, when 83 notifications were received in
three weeks, entailed a considerable amount of increased
work, and taxed the resources of the Department to the full.
The members of my staff, however, readily assisted in the
efforts to trace the source of infection and to prevent the
spread of the disease, working willingly and energetically
much beyond the ordinary hours.
The practice has been continued of disinfecting rooms by
formaldehyde, formalin spray, or sulphur dioxide, according to
circumstances, whilst the bedding and other similar articles
have been removed to the steam disinfecting apparatus at the
Isolation Hospital. The number of rooms disinfected totalled
854.
Upon the removal of an infectious patient to the Isolation
Hospital, or on recovery at home, the infected room and
bedding is forthwith disinfected. In nearly every case the
owner is requested in writing to have the paper stripped off
the walls (taking care to burn such paper in the room), the
ceiling to be whitewashed, and all painted surfaces to be
thoroughly cleansed, scrubbed, or re-painted without delay.
In the event of this request not being complied with within
forty-eight hours, a Statutory Notice under Section 5 of the
Infectious Diseases (Prevention) Act, 1890, is served, and in
default the work is carried out by the Staff of the Porough
Surveyor's Department, and the cost recovered from the owner
This was only necessary in three instances.
Whenever possible or specially requested, disinfection
has been carried out where cases of Consumption or Cancer
have occurred, the figures relating to which may be seen from
the table dealing with Disinfections.
School Disinfections.-All the Public Elementary Schools
in the district were disinfected thoroughly, as in previous
years, during the summer recess, and also when compulsory
closing of particular schools has taken place on account of
outbreaks of notifiable or non-notifiable infectious diseases.
In addition to this, certain class rooms in various schools
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