LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD.

483 Sons, Limited, of Dominion Works, Birmingham, and by Coventry Urban Distriot.-By the provisions of the Messrs. S. P. Whitfield and Co., Limited, of Watery-lane, Coventry Corporation Act, 1900, power has been procured by Birmingham. Woods’ patent wire mattress was exhibited by which the corporation, having erected an abattoir, may This mattress, revoke, cancel, or call in any licence granted by them, the Longford Wire Co., of Warrington. attached to a bedstead six feet by three feet. will carry either before or after the passing of the Act, with regard to A private slaughter-houses, subject to the condition that comone ton weight without injury to the mattress or bed. Similarly the very interesting series of photographs illustrating more than pensation to the owner shall be given. have power to close any private slaughter-house 30 cases of double amputation of legs and arms was shown by Mr. J. Gillingham, manufacturer of artificial limbs which in their opinion is injurious or dangerous to the public and surgical appliances, Chard, Somerset. Mr. N. Bletchley health. It will be interesting to note how these provisions (89, Northgate- street, Gloucester) has devoted .his attention are applied in practice. He exhibited a number to special construction of boots. Kingston-upon-Hull Urban District.-Dr. Wright Mason, of boots adapted for various abnormal conditions and in reporting upon the cases of small-pox which occurred at Hull during 1900, gives a brief summary of the whole outdeformities. break. There were in all 943 cases notified with 163 deaths. (To be concluded.) There were removed to hospital 904 cases, and of these 748. were vaccinated and 156 showed no evidence of vaccination from marks." The fatality-rate of the vaccinated was 10’2 per cent. and that of the unvaccinated was 48’7 per cent., The total fatality-rate was 16’9 per cent. 20 vaccinated children under 10 years of age were attacked, with nodeaths, while of the 60 children attacked who showed no LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD. evidence of vaccination 27 died-i. e., the fatality-rate was 4& per cent. Hastings Urban -Distg-ict.--Dr. Scarlyn Wilson refers in REPORTS OF MEDICAL OFFICERS OF HEALTH. his current annual report to the practice of the I I inflati c n,or of young animals, such City of London. - In his report for the three weeks ending blowing up, of the connective tissueafter death. This operaas calves and Dr. W. the medical lambs, immediately July 13th, Collingridge, newly appointed officer of health, tells us that the Corporation of London have tion is held to improve the appearance of the meat, and ther e decided to adopt the voluntary notification of phthisis and to is no doubt that it imparts a fallacious idea of bulk and pay the usual fee of 2s. 6d. for each case notified. On the perhaps, too, of freshness. In other words, it must be receipt of the notification the invaded house will be visited, regarded as a questionable practice. Dr. Wilson states that disinfection will be offered, and a leaflet prepared by the inflation"" is practised on ill-nourished meat by the direct medical officer of health, setting out the precautions to be lung power of the slaughterer, and certainly this proceeding observed, will be left. Turning to another matter we are should be unhesitatingly condemned. We have ourselves pleased to see that a detailed inspection of the sanitary con- seen inflation" " by means of a pump. But here is another veniences at the several railway stations, both above and argument for public slaughter-houses where processes such as below ground, has been made in the City, and defects have this may either be controlled or prohibited. been found at a very large number of them. This is a very useful public service and it is to be hoped that other medical officers of health will follow this example. Our own expeVITAL STATISTICS riences over many of the lines of England enable us to urge the necessity of this step. HEALTH OF ENGLISH TOWNS. Surrey County District.-The Surrey County Council have under the advice of Dr. E. C. Seaton, their medical officer of IN 33 of the largest English towns 5893 births and 4863 health, taken an active and useful part with regard to the deaths were registered during the week ending August 10th. water supplied in the county during 1900. More particularly The annual rate of mortality in these towns, which had risen was this the case with respect to the West Surrey Water from 14’8 to 22 4 per 1000 in the six preceding weeks, declined Company, the water supplied by which had been the subject again to 22 ’1 last week.. In London the death-rate was 18’3 of complaint by two urban district councils whose districts per 1000, while it averaged 24-3 in the 32 large provincial were supplied by the said company. Briefly stated the towns. The lowest death-rates in these towns were 11-9 in chemical analysis gave, in the view of these two councils, Bristol, 12’0 in Croydon, 12’1 in Wolverhampton, and 14’5 unsatisfactory results. The company in question has an in Plymouth ; the highest rates were 32’6 in Sheffield, 33-7 intake from the Thames a short distance above Walton Bridge in Sunderland, 34’1 in Salford, and 40’6 in Gateshead. and the area of supply is very extensive. Near the intake The 4862 deaths in these towns last week included 1724 there are filters but no subsidence reservoirs, the water being which were referred to the principal zymotic diseases, delivered direct to the filter-beds. The filtered water is against 1508 and 1755 in the two preceding weeks;. pumped to a service reservoir on St. George’s Hill. The of these 1436 resulted from diarrhosal diseases, 98 analyses made by the experts of the company were in favour from measles, 71- from diphtheria, 57 from whoopingof the company ; those made by the Jenner Institute of Pre- cough, 34 from "fever" (principally enteric), 27 from ventive Medicine were unsatisfactory. Doubtless, as Dr. scarlet fever, and one from small-pox. The lowest deathSeaton suggests, the conditions of collection varied, but at the rates from these diseases were recorded in Bristol, same time the strength of a chain is measured by the resistCardiff, Swansea, and Halifax ; and the highest rates ance of its weakest link. Having regard to these discrepancies in West Ham, Salford, Leeds, Sheffield, Sunderland, The greatest proportional mortality Dr. Seaton, who received the assistance of the company in and Gateshead. his inquiries, procured a sample before filtration and a sample from measles occurred in West Ham, Birmingham, after filtration, seeking by this means to ascertain whether Salforcl, Leeds, and Sheffield ; from whooping-cough the filtered water gave results which are satisfactory in Sunderland ; and from diarrhoeal diseases in Portsat all times, and under all conditions of the river. The mouth, Manchester, Salford, Shefiield, Sunderland, and water was also examined bacteriologically and for this Gateshead. The 71 deaths from diphtheria included 24The results of this in London, seven in West Ham, seven in Leeds, six in purpose 50 samples were taken. bacteriological examination were, we are told, satisfactory, Brighton, and four in Leicester. One fatal case of smallbut on the other hand the chemical results were unsatis- pox was registered in London, but not one in any factory. It is not clear if the filtrate of each -filter was other of the 33 large towns ; the number of small-pox submitted to examination or whether there are automatic patients under treatment in the Metropolitan Asylums arrangements for checking the rate of filtration of each filter. hospitals, which had been 14, 11, and 13 at the But in the meantime the company applied for Parliamentary end of the three preceding weeks, had declined powers to construct subsidence reservoirs and the county again to 11 on Saturday, August 10th ; three new council were able finally to arrange terms upon which alone cases were admitted during the week, against five, their opposition to the Bill would be withheld. It may there- two, and four in the three preceding weeks. The fore be said that the Surrey County Council have here per- number of scarlet fever patients in these hospitals and in formed a useful service. Other action has also been taken the London Fever Hospital at the end of the week was by this county council in reference to another water 3148, against 2907, 2974, and 3091 on the three preceding Saturdays ; 306 new cases were admitted during the week, company.

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