View report page

There is, to my mind, a very great distinction to be drawn
between children attending school and playing in the parks. For
although transmission of disease by third parties, who are, themselves,
free from the disease, is not common, it would, of necessity, be less likely
to occur in the open air. I am of opinion that if such children are
prohibited the parks they will play in the streets, and if prohibited the
streets they will play in the houses, where the net result—so far as the
spread of disease and ill-health generally are concerned —will be far
greater.
The whole question is comprised within the proper isolation of
the patient.
If t5his be satisfactorily maintained there can hardly be even
theoretical infection of the remaining inmates, while if people are careless
in this respect they will be in others.
I can, therefore, only advise the Committee to instruct the
officers that if isolation be insufficiently carried out to put in force some of
the penal clauses of the Act. If the isolation be maintained the danger
of infection through the other persons in the house will be reduced to a
minimum.
( Signed) FRANCIS STEVENS, Medical Officer of Health.
It is again a pleasant task to have to call the attention
of the Council to a decrease in the number of complaints, there
being nearly 200 less than in 1904, which was itself much
freer than 1903. As it has been previously indicated this
diminution, which takes place in spite of the hygienic standard
going up, is a satisfactory index of the way the sanitary inspection
of the Borough is carried out, the causes of nuisance being
removed before the public are aware.
The ice cream shops and places of manufacture have
been regularly inspected during the year, 10 of them at one
time or another were found to be unsatisfactory, and these
were owned by English and Italian in about equal proportions.
There can be no doubt but that the regular inspection has very
much raised the standard of cleanliness in such premises. In
one of the unsatisfactory places of manufacture a child was
found suffering from diarrhœa in the room where the preparation
of the ice cream was going on, and proceedings were
taken against the person responsible on account of this, the
analysis giving evidence of the grossest contamination.
The restaurants, coffee shops and dining-rooms were
duly inspected during the past year. The total number on the
register amount to 138, and of these 30 were found to be in an
unsatisfactory condition, chiefly as regards conduct of the