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46
Sailors' Home at Poplar are at the time of their
admission suffering from scurvy; and that it is
not uncommon for from 20 to 70 per cent. of a
ship's crew to be thus diseased at one time. Who
knows, therefore, how many of the disasters at
sea, with loss of life and property have been
occasioned by the weakness of the crew and loss
of power from the disease, so that they have been
unable to work the ship in stormy weather? The
sole cause of the disease is the neglect by owners
or captains of vessels to victual their crew in a
proper manner. To some extent the law has provided
for this matter, but the hygienic provisions
of various acts of parliament relating to it are
openly disregarded; and it is high time that
measures should be taken to have them enforced.
None perhaps, would be more effective than those
which are delegated to local authorities under the
Sanitary Act of 1866, by which the condition of
ships entering our ports can be systematically
observed.
Lastly, I have to report to you that the markets
and the slaughter-houses of the City have been
daily inspected, and that the two officers appointed
to this duty have condemned 287,974 lbs.
or nearly 129 tons of meat as unfit for human food
—129,312 lbs. of it were diseased, 125,275 lbs.
were putrid, and 33,387 lbs. were from animals