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and nursing, so essential in the treatment of acute
disease amongst the poor. How many of these persons
died whilst under such treatment elsewhere there is no
means of ascertaining. An attempt was made recently
to procure this most desirable information, hut difficulties
were found to exist, mainly arising from defective registration
at the respective Institutions, the officials of which
declared themselves unable to give information of the
death of each inmate to the parish from whence he
came; and in one instance advised that the Medical
Officers of Health of each District in the Metropolis
should annually visit each Institution, and himself pick
out the names of the several persons admitted from his
District in the Hospital books. As the officials of these
Institutions professed themselves unable to obtain the
required information from this source, it would obviously
be impossible for the several Medical Officers to be more
successful.
Sanitation in the Sub-District during 1880.—Subjoined
will be found a return from the Inspector of
Nuisances as to the recorded Sanitary operations, as
entered in his books. It must, however, be understood
that these do not include inspections of premises or food,
or attendances at Police and other Courts, by myself. I
may here add that the able manner in which Mr.
Richards, the Inspector of Nuisances, and the Assistant
Inspector, Mr. Barnes, have fulfilled the duties
of their respective offices has given me much satisfaction.
A brief resume shows that the work of the Inspectors
increases year by year, in proport ion to the general increase
of habitations and population, nearly 2,000 house to
house inspections having been made, and when the fact
is stated that 30 columns are tilled in the Inspectors'
book at each inspection, many thousands of distinct inquiries
or investigations will be seen to have been made.