361
contracted the infection in brothels or lodging-houses in other parts of the city. The cases which occurred at the Peak were, similarly, domestic servants in the employ of Europeans or building contractors' coolies, and the source of infection in these cases also may be attributed to like places of resort. It will be seen from the above table that while the proportion of cases per 1,000 of popula- tion happens to have been lowest in the most densely populated districts of the city, the case mortality was largely influenced by this condition, the cases from district No. 5 showing a very high rate of mortality and those from No. 1 district a comparatively low rate, thus illustrating the inarked influ- ence of sanitary conditions upon the virulence of the disease.
In Appendix A will be found the addresses, arranged alphabetically, of all the cases of Bubonic Fever reported as occurring in the City of Victoria during the year, and from this table it will be seen that the disease showed a marked tendency to confine itself to certain fairly well defined streets and areas. In 25 houses only did the disease re-appear after an interval of ten days had elapsed from the late of recognition of the first case, but it will be observed that the disease showed a remarkable tendency to pass from house to house along a street, and the explanation of this is, 1. believe, that the occupants of an infected house, who, as I have already stated, usually disappeared upon the occurrence of a case of the disease, did not migrate further than the adjoining house, and thus carried the infection with them along the street. The following table gives the number of houses infected in each district and the proportion of these in which "repeat cases occurred after a longer interval than ten days; the shortest jaterval over that period was 14 days and the longest 166 days while the average interval was just over 60 days.
The exceptionally large number of "repeat" cases, which occurred in No. 2 Health District, affords a remarkable justification, from the sanitary point of view, of the action taken by the Sanitary Board, in demolishing cubicles and cocklofts with a view to the admission of light and air to the dwellings. The Eastern District of the city was declared affected by the epidemic on April 2nd, 1896, and during that month a general cleansing of the houses was carried out, but owing to some inis- interpretation of my instructions, no demolition of cocklofts or cubicles occurred. The disease con- tinued unabated in the district, and I accordingly issued instructions during the first week of May, that the whole district should be again cleansed, and that all dirty woodwork and obstructions to windows must be removed; as a result of this second and more thorough cleansing, disinfection and aeration of the dwellings, no "repeat" case occurred in any house infected later than May 5th, although the disease lingered on in the district until September.
In July the Sanitary Board was condemned, in the Court of Summary Jurisdiction, to pay com- pensation to the owners of some of the dirty cubicles and cocklofts, in this very district, for trespass and for the loss sustained, not, be it noted, by the demolition but by the removal from the premises of the débris of these obstructions to light and air, and while willingly admitting that such was a just interpretation of the law of this Colony, I cannot but think that, to the ordinary man, the action taken by the Board, under my advice, must now appear to have been not merely justifiable, but imperatively necessary in the interests of human life.
District.
No. of houses infected. No. of houses in which repeat" cases occurred.
44
Percentage of houses in which "repeat" cases
- occurred.
1...... 2,.
44
1
2.3
155
11
7.1
3,.
22
1
4.5
4,..
142
2
1.4
5......
107
2
1.9
6....
76
3
3.9
7,
122
4
3.3
8,...
21
1
4.8
689
25
3.6
DURATION OF INTERVAL.
Less than 1 month. I and under 2 months. 2 and under 3 months. 3 and under 4 months. Over 4 months.
9
6
3
5
2
One valuable lesson which was learnt during the epidemic of 1894 was the paramount importance of rendering the ground surfaces of all domestic dwellings and of all yards, areas and other adjuncts thereto impervious, thus preventing the access of ground air and of damp to the dwellings, and