1859.

VICTORIA.

CENTRAL BOARD OF HEALTH. UNDER THE AcT 18 VICTORIA, No. 13.

FOURTH . ANNUAL REPORT.

PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY'S COMMAND-

till l!lutbottt!!:

No.3. JOHN FERRES, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, MELBOU~E.

... ,. ' \ 1 ,.t " ' •i '

REPORT'. -<ql-

MAY IT PLEASE YouR .ExcELLENCY:

We the Central Board of Health, appointed to superintend the administration of the Public Health~ Act, ·beg to submit the· following Report of· our proceedings during the year 1858:-- •

At the commencement of the year the Board were still engaged in endeavoring to prevent the extension of the disease, small pox, which made its appearance in the month of September, 1857. Our Report for that year contained the ·history of the progress of the disease dUring 1857, and the earlier part of 1858, and we have now only to add that since the discon­tinuance of the temporary· hospital at the Royal Park, no further case of .small pox .has been brought under· our notice, and there is every reason to believe that the infection has not extended· beyond the cases described \n our Report, and that it is now extinct. . ,

With the exception of the cases at Gisborne :the outbr~ak of small pox was entirely confined in this. colony .to. the neighhorhood of Melbourne,. and we understand that no indication of the .disease h~s been. :qoticed .in ei~her of the neigh boring colonies of New,. South Wales or South Australia ..

During the past year we received. several reports Qf. the appearan~e of small pox in the neighborhood of Melbourne; but .. on exam.it:~ation most of the cases proved to be : ~ Varicella " .. or " Chi~ken pox," a. disease pre­valent in Melbourne both before and since th~ outbreak of small pox, and in others the persons were found to be. merely sutferipg from cutaneous eruptions. ..

A few cases of typhus fever, occurring under special circumstances, were brought undqr our notice during the. beginning of the year. The first case occurred in a lodging house . in Bourke-stre~t. . '.fhe p11tient, who was quite destit'll:te, had been refused admission to the. Hospital, and, when the Board was mformed of the case, was too w~ak to admit of removal ; she was therefore attended at her lodging by Dr. Reed, then a.cting for the Chief Medical Officer, and the necessary expenditure for. ordinary attendance was defrayed out of the funds at our disposal ; the keeper of the lodging house was subsequently attacked. The third case occurred in. the immediate neighborhood within six days after the report of the appearance of t}lC disease; the patierit was at once rm;noved to the Immigration HospitaL- In all these cases every precaution for.the destruction of theinfection was taken, and the disease has not 'been known to spread.

·Typhus fever also made its appeara,nce at PQrtland amongst certain unemployed persons drafted from Melbowne to that district; the cases were all treated with success in the l)istrict Hospital, and no further indicatiqn of the disease has appeared. · · · ·

4

At the time of the appearance of small pox the efficacy of vaccination as a precautionary measure was generally recognised, and large numbers of persons in this and the neighboring colonies availed themselves of the facilities afforded for that purpose.· In South Australia it has been made the subject of a compulsory enactment; but in New South vVales, although the· medical authorities strongly advised the introduction of a compulsory law in this respect, no action was then taken. . We understand, however, that a measure to ·this effect has recently been proposed by a member of the Legislature of that colony, and it is to be hoped that, recognising the identity of interests in regard to the excl~sion of a highly infectious disease in colonies so closely connected both by position and facilities of intercourse, the Legislature of New S()uth Wales will be induced to provide for general. vaccination by means of a compulsory enactment.

In our last Report we had occasion to allude to the necessity of providing some remedy for the very' general disreg~rd of the provisions of the Compulsory Vacc~nation Act to which our attention had been directed during 1857, and expressed our opinion that greater activity should be used in enforcing the penalties of the law on offenders against its requirements. It appeared, however, that there was an obstacle to immediate action in this respect as some doubts existed whether the notices required under the 11th.· section of the Act had been served with regularity, our main object, the furtherance of a general vaccination-rendered most desirable by the presence of small pox-was therefore frustrated ; but instructions being given for the due service of the notices in future the suggestion was productive of prospective benefit. ·

'Durin:g the early part of the year 1858 the subject was again brought under notice by our President. At this time the disease (small pox), although its progress had happily been arrested in this colony, was making extensive ravages in England, and, as we pointed out in oi1r Report for the previous year, might, through culpable misrepresentations, as in the case of the Commodore Perry, be again introduced into the colony, notwithstanding· the strictest scrutiny of the Health Office£ at th.e Heads; we had ascertained that 'probably greater regularity had been observed in the service ,of the notices required by the 11th section of the Act, and the suggestion pre· viously made, that the Police should be furnished with periodical lists of . nmnes and addresses of pa'rents or guardians of children who, having registered the birth, had not complied with the requirement of the Vaccination Act, in order to the enforcement of the penalties of the law, was again sub­mitted to the ·Government, and instructions necessary to give effect to this arrangement were shortly afterwards issued.

We have made enquiry as. to the l'nanner in which these returns have been furnished to the Police, and of the proceedings taken thereo:h. Out of fifty-three Police Districts from which we have received reports, ii~ only nineteen have returns been received, and not in all instances with regularity. Amongst those places where the returns have not been received is the City of :Melbourne. The ordinary course adopted by the Police on receipt ·of these returns has been to convey a warning to the persons responsible, which has been generally successful in inducing the vaccination of children upon whom the operation has not been performed in a.ccordance with the require­ments of the law. But although some prosecutions have been instituted, by the Police, ·in no case have the penalties of the law been enforced. The Board are not awa1'e of the circumstances which have induced so much leniency in the administration of a law intended to be a compu ';;()ry enact­ment ; and they are desihms of expressing their opi11ion that the provision of the Act should ,be more strictly carried out.·

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, . 8Jlla1Lpox ,is no:w m:;tking fatal ravages ,in many·parts of Britain, and in.m~ny colonies a:pd places in .communication with Victoria, so that it )s probable th,e djse~se :may. again be introduced into this colony. An extensh:e vaccination 'is the only means of rendering such a visitation as harmless as possible ; and unless the Compulsory Vaccination Act is carried out strin­gently· ·by. -all these to·whom its powers are delegated,· the law will be of little use. ·

In our,Jast .;Report w.e took occasion to! remark, ·in connection with the introduction of small pox by the Commodore Peny, on the inadequacy of t1Ie penal provisions of the Quara~tine Act to secure correct representa­tions in regard to infectious diseases occurring on board vessels arriving at this port; -and s11bmitted ·to your Excelkncy's consideration the desirability of such -an ·alteration in the law as would 'provide a punishment more ·likely to deter persons from making false representations, or concealing the ~cur­rence of infectious diseases on board vessels arriving from foreign ports .than the present money penalty of (£100) one hundred pounds. It is pbssi)?le that the-necessity for the enforcement of such provisions may not again arise for a long period ; , bv.t ~avil!g. had practical experience of the inefficiency of the' law as it at· pr~sent' st~ds toj?revent the intro<,luctio:p of disease·,: a.n:d i~ view of the s.erious considerations th~reby involved, we de~:p~ it our quty to bring the matter again under your Excellency's ~onsideration. . · · .:-~. -

.. Soon after-the completion of the works for the supply of water from the Yan Yean reservoir,_ the attention of the Board was directed to ·the numerous complaints of the quality of the water as supplied in the city. ,Various investigations by competent analysts were at this time in progress, under the direction of the Commissioners, and it was resolved to wait the result of these investigations. Before any conclusions were arrived at, how­ever, another question of considerable importance to the public health-the action of the water on the service pipes through which it was distributed to the consumers-was brought under our notice by the occurrence of cases of lea9, poisoning m -the family of the Governor of the Melbourne Gaol. A report was immediately obtained from the medical practitioner in attendance, Dr1 Ford, who stated that the patients were undoubtedly suffering from the effects of lead poisoning, in fact that they were the most marked cases he ever saw, and that there was no doubt that ~t arose from the use of the Yan Yean water, as delivered to the gaol through service pipes of the deScription: ki1own as " Commissioners'. pipe."

The result of an analysis of water drawn from this service showed that lead i~ sufficient quantities to be injurious to health was present. The pipes·were at once removed, and having ascertained that the enquiry already instituted by the Cqmmissioners into the constituents and qualities of the Yan Yean water did not embrace any considerations as to its action upon lead; it was resolved that enquiry should be made into the conditions under which the apparent action took place, with a view to ascertain the description of piping best adapted for the supply ofthe Yan Yean water.

·. Pending this enquiry, the Board issued a notice, recommending as a precautionary measure, that before using the Y an Y ean water for drinking or culinary purposes it should be allowed to run off for a sufficient period to empty the service pipe through which it _was drawn, in order that the time given for. the action of the water op_ the lead s~rvice ·might be limited to as !3hort a period as. possible, viz., th~t occupied in its passage from the main to the delivery tap.

, ~ubseque~tly, during the.progress of the it;tvestigations o.n the subject of the ImpregnatiOn of water With lead, we agam brought this precaution

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under the notice of the public, it having been tried with perfect success in a case where persons who, before taking this precaution had suffered from lead poisoning, had since used water from the same service with impunity.

The first experiments were made upon water as delivered fi·om the stand pipe in Spencer street, and from services of ordinary lead pipe, and in both these cases no trace of lead was detected ; the water was taken prior to the commencement and during the middle of the daily supply.

At this stacre of the enquiry ·our opinion was requested by the. Com­missioners, as to tLe description of piping best adapted for the distribution of the Y an Y ean water, and as to the relative merits of piping composed of lead internally coated with tin, and of lead with an alloy of 5 per cent. of tin, and· several specimens of piping were transmitted to us. The result of the experiments made tended to show .that while the water dr-awn from the ordinary lead pipes showed no trace of impregnation with lead, that taken from the pipes internally coated with tin gave indications of the presence of lead in considerable quantities ; it was, therefore, resolved that comparative experiments should be made on common lead piping and pipes composed of lead with an alloy of 5 per cent. of tin, and in order that the water might be taken under the ordinary conditions of supply, the pipes "\vere laid from the

· n;1ain to the house of our President, in Spring-street, under whose personal supervision the experiments were conducted.

The analyses of water drawn from these p1pes are detailed in the Appendix, the results obtained being :~

1st. That the lead pipes and those alloyed with 5 per cent. of tin, when subjected to the action of the water for twelve hours, gave not the slightest indications of the presence of lead.

2nd. That after continued contact with the pipes for a period of seven (7) days, the water in both instances contained traces oflead, and in this case the 5· per cent. pipes appeared to be superior.

3rd. Th;tt after being subjected to the ordinary conditions of an intermittent supply, exposure to air and water, no indications of lead are given in water taken from the lead pipe, whilst that taken from the 5 per cent. pipe contained a large amount.

The consideration of these results lead us to the conclusion that pure lead, without any alloy, was the most desirable material for service pipes for the distribution of the Y an Y ean water; but in conveying to the Commission this conclusion, as well as our opinion that the pipe alloyed with tin was preferable to that coated internally with that metal, we deemed it necessary to recommend that an extensive series of experiments upon water drawn from service of the Commissioners' pipe should be made, in order to ascertain whether the impregnation of the water with lead was owing to some acci­dental or local cause, or whether it obtained in all the Commissioners' pipes.

We also recommended that the regulation rendering it compulsory to l.ay services to the mains when completed, should be rescinded, until some ~onclusions were obtained from the experiments prop,osed, and that those services, water from which had caused lead poisoning, should be removed and carefully examined, as it was considered that the condition of the interior of the pipes might -throw some light upon the cause of the solvent action 'of the water. ·

7

Several specimens of piping which had been in use were submitted to ·our inspection, and amongst others a portion of the pipe taken from the gaol was opened in the presence of the Board ; the imperfect nature of the tin lining was in every case very apparent, considerable portions of it, in various parts of the pipe, being completely removed, leaving the lead exposed.

At the request of the Commissioners we undertook to conduct the proposed experiments, and a large number of samples of the water were accordingly collected, and analysed by Mr. Johnson of St. Kilda, under our direction, every possible precaution being taken to secure uniformity in the time during which the water drawn was in contact with the pipes, the samples being taken indiscriminately from various services in the city.

. The result of these analyses is given in a tabular form in the Appendix, and some idea of the merits of the different descriptions of piping may be obtained from the Table No. 4, in which the average amounts of lead contained in services, laid down at different periods, of common lead and Commissioners' pipes are contrasted.

The conclusions to be drawn from this contrast may be somewhat difficult of appreciation from the want of uniformity in the conditions under which the results were obtained; the difference in the average lengths of the services examined, which is very great in the case of the Commissioners' · pipes laid in 1856 and 1858, must be taken into consideration, also, that the numbers of samples analysed in the· different instances do not correspond, and of course where fewer samples have been analysed the result given will appear much greater, as lor instance, in the three samples oflead pipe laid in 1857, two gave indications of lead in very large quantities, whilst of those laid in 1856 only one contained an appreciable amount; of the eighteen lead pipes laitl in 1858 all gave traces of lead, but the largest amount was only ( ·6) six-tenths of a grain to the gallon.

In the examination of water drawn n·om the Commissioners' pipes, large quantities of lead were in some instances indicated, but we are inclined to attribute this result to the defective condition of the tin lining of the pipes, either from abrasion or corrosion. It appeared that, to a certain extent, the lead pipes were better adapted for the supply of the Yan Y ean water than the tinned Commissioners' pipes ; but the results of the analyses of water drawn from lead pipes induced us to recommend to the Commissioners the use of iron piping, which we were informed could be obtained. We also recommended that in all cases when an analysis had shown a quantity of lead exceeding the proportion of one grain to the gallon, the pipes should be removed and iron ones substituted.

But putting aside all discussion as to the relative merits of different descriptions of piping, it is evident that the lead pipes, which are certainly not subject to those defective conditions which appear to be the cause of the action of the water on tinned pipes, are also subject, though to a somewhat less extent, to the solvent action of the water. This action is attributable to certain conditions of the water itself, chiefly its alkalinity ; and the question naturally arises as to whether these conditions cannot be so altered as to neutralize the effect upon the lead services. This subject was specially brought under the notice of the Commission, and Mr. J ohnson of St. Kilda, by whom the greater part of the analyses made under the supervision of the Board were performed, has been engaged in a minute investigation into the properties of the water, and has commenced experiments, which it is to be hoped "'ill lead to some practicable means of preventing the impregnation of water with lead.

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,. ·. "'. : 'rl:te ,qualities o( the water; as rega;rds its fitness for human consump­tion, have ."j}ee~ thoroughly investigated .under the direction of the Com­s~oners, and. by the Select .Coll).mittee of the H.ouse ·of Assembly, and tb,e ~pnclusio'ns obtain~d .have been· prominently before the public. It appears that t'1e p:rjncipalll}atter of. objection .is the presence. of certain organic and other solid matter, acquired partly from the swall).ps through which the 'Yater .p;:t~ses into the reservoir,,. and, partly from the disintegration of the panks of.the reservoir itself; but there is an entire absence of evidence that. any ill effect~ ha~e resulted· from the use of 'the Yan Y ean · water, excep,t from its ac~ipn. on lead pipes ; and we are of opinion that the water dp~s not contain any substance wliic~ is likely to have a prej;udicial effect on the public health. . · · . ; ..

DurinO. the past year the Public Health Act has been extended to . the towns·of Queenscliftj Ballaarat East, Beechworth, Maldon and Brunswick.

' · .,: .~ot being aware of any circumstances rendering the·extension o( the

fublic He~lth Act to so young and thinly populated a district as Queenscli:ff desirable, we made enquiries to ascertain the circumstances under which the extension had been Ill3de; we were however unable to obtain any information ,on:thi~ .-point,.and it was considered, t.hat. the. sanitary:requirements of the 9-istrict ;would .. be.,amply1 met .by the provisions of the P;olice .t\ct, and as

· ~:P,~re was.JlO lo.cal ,a"!J.thority .upon .who.m the .administration.~of the Health A_ct would deyolve, we did :r,.ot. deem .. it desirabl~ tp establish. a .. Lo.caJ Board,. of Health up_de.r: ,the fourth. section of the Act. ,No further action 'fats taken ,in the matter,. and ,we .have not s~nce been made aware of any pircun;tstances . requiring a special app1ication of the powers of sanitary regulation conferred by tpe Health Act. ·

. '

The Municipal Councils .of Beechworth, l!aldon, and Brunswick made application to the Government ·for the extension of the Public Health Act to the districts under their control; and in the case of Ballaarat East, the occurrence of a supposed case of small pox rendered the extension desirable. · ' . . ' vu.~ The I:eports received under the Public Health _Act from the

Loc;:tl Boards in regard to. the sanitary condition of the districts under their co~trol during th~ past year have. conveyed a much greater amount of infor­nuition, tl;ta1;1 those previously received, and. some of the Local :Boards have ay;:tiJed tl~emselves. o( offers cif assistance tendered by this .Board, and have specially l!rought u~der our notice '\;arious matters affecting their sanitary intm;ests i;n which we have been able to render them assistance. We regret, however, t.o have to remark, that the deficiencies of the· present Public Health ,Act which are still unremedied h;:tve stood considerably in the way of pro­gress in this respect; in some instances 1;10 attempts whatever are made to enforce the provisions of the Act, and in others the powers conferred are found totally inadequa;te to meet local requirements. 1Ve trust, however, that during the next Session of Parli:'lmen~ the subject will receive further atteJ;ttion, and th~Jaws relating to public health so amended as to enable the Central a;nq. L_ocal. Boards _to m~k~ . better aniJ. more effectual provision in regard to. tq~ var:jous .m{Ltters coming under their control.

. . - .· . . . . . ... . .. ''\ ;. ' . ' . .

In our mstructwns· for the gmdance of Local Boards of Health m the preparation of their reports Wt! suggested certain subjects for remark, and

such an arrangement as we deemed most desirallle to ensur~'full'inform~ti~p. ·in regard to sanitary matters. We·are glad to observe that the LocalBoarqs have generally adopted ~ur·suggestions, ·and,' although in .some instance~· tlie iiiformation conveyed is somewhat meagre, in others a more comprehensive view is taken of the subjeCt ; and ·we now beg to submit the info·rmation on various topics· of interest which 1ve have drawn from these soilrces. · ·

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First, with regard to health. The Reports of the Local Boards in the majority of instances represent the districts 1mder their control as being in a most healthy condition, and the return of births and deaths appended appear to confirm this opinion. In the district of East Collingwood, however, the Local Board, in the Report for the second half of the year 1858, state that the mortality has increased to such an extent as to induce them to request us to institute an enquiry into the causes of this increase, which amounts to upwards of 50 per cent. of males and 7 5 per cent. of females during the half . year as compared with the previous similar period of 185 7, the increase in the number of births registered being only one, and the total increase of population between the periods referred to estimated at 12i per cent. ; to what extent this excessive mortality is attributable to local removable causesr it is difficult to ascertain, but there is no doubt that, as a.lleged by the Local Board it may, in a great measure be attributed to the extension of dwellings on Collingwood Flat and its marshy undrained condition It is a matter of congratulation that this difficulty has obtained the special attention of the Municipal Council and the Government, and that steps are now being taken which will effect ·considerable benefit in this respect, and which the Council anticipate will render the district one of the healthiest in the neighborhood of Melbourne.

The reports of the Local Boards of Health are necessarily very inadequate as a means for obtaining conclusions in regard to the health o the districts under their control, as until very lately, we have been unable to make any arrangement by which the Local Boards could obtain reliable and comprehensive information in regard to vital statistics.

Although officers of healt~ have generally been appointed by the Local Boards, tlnder the 7th section of the Act, the difficulties in the way of the collation of facts from the Deputy Registrars' returns, have rendered them unable to report fi1lly on this subject, we are glad to observe, however, that in some instances the officers of health have evinced a desire to assist. the Local Boards in this respect, and we trust that an a.rra.ngement to enable the Local Boards to obtain with facility the informatiou required will shortly be completed, and which, by directing attention to the occurrence of parti­cular diseases under special circumstances, will lead to the discovery of local predisposing causes, the removal of which affords the most effectual, and at.· the same time, the readiest means of improving the health of the community.

Our attention was directed to the consideration of the infantile mortality in this colony, by a return which we received from the Local Board of Health. of Geelong, of the deaths occurring in that district during the first half of the year 1858. In this return the total number of deaths is given as 282, 172 of these or nearly 61 per cent. being returned as under two years of age ; in exactly one-half of these diarrhrea and dysentery were the fatal diseases, and upwards of 40 per cent. were attributable to diseases incidental to childhood, such as water on the brain, convulsions, &c. \:V e were induced by these facts to make further enquiry into the subject, and we found that in most instances the infantile mortality was nearly as great, and in some cases, eve}). greater than that observed in Geelong \:V e are of opinion that this mortality may be considerably reduced, but not until the gradual progress of improvement has removed the predisposing causes of disease, traceable to dwellings of imper­fect construction, want of drainage, and general disregard of sanitary require­ments, which have been proved to be especially severe on infantile life.

We would here mention another cause of infantile mortality which it is believed obtains to a considerable extent; we allude to the practice of taking· ailing children to unqualified persons for medical treatment. The short

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sharp 'attacks of disease to which children are subject in this colony especially, require prompt and skilful treatment, and although we are unable to find a remedy for this growing evil in the present state of the laws relating to medical practitioners in this colony, we deem it our duty to allude to it as a matter requiring legislative interference. ,

· · \Vhen alluding in our last Report to the facilities for drainage provided by the situation of the various towns of this colony, attention was specially directed to the town of Ballaarat East as an exception to the general rule, and we regret to remark that the efforts of the Municipal Council for improvement in this respect, . have been retarded by difficulties which can only be overcome by the adoption of some means for the drainage of the road

. and flat upon which the town is situated.

• The following e.xtract from the Report of the Local Board of Health will give an idea of the present situation of the township in respect to drainage.

And first as regards the management of drains ancl sewers, I may state that there are seven culverts constructed underneath the Main Road, the control of which rests· with the Central Road Board; these culverts have no offiet in which to empty themselves and as a consequence they are generally choked with sludge, except when we are visited by a heavy thunderstorm, when the sludge is forced through the drains into the premises and yards of the residents, where it must necessarily

remain, for as I stated before there is no channel to convey it away; at the present time large lakes of sludge remain at the rear of the houses on both sides of the main street, which is only one chain wide, and the levels of the sludge are in some places fifteen inches above those of the road itself. The water tables of the street arc in consequence the repository of this nuisance as 'veil as that of fetid stagnant water, which we fear will sonicday produce a pestilence. The road upon which the greater portion of the town is built is a Government one, and the Council therefore are prevented from interfering with the drains, water tables, or channels. ·

It· appears that during last year a contract was taken for the cutting a main channel, but that owing to insuperable legal difficulties it was abandoned. A sum of £3000 was placed on the Estimates this year for the dra~nage of the flat but was not· voted, the Legishiture considering the work to be more pi·operly a municipal one. ·

We are informed, however; that the subject is again under the consideration of the Government, and that an engineer has been sent up to report upon the drainage of the flat.

A similar difficulty in the drainage of the town of Sandh:urst, ansmg from the choking of the Bendigo Creek with sludge, was brought under our notice ; we have received no report from the Local Board of Health of this place for the last two years, and we are not, therefore, in possession- of information as to what remedial measures have been proposed ; but it is to· be hoped that the investigations of the Commission appointed to enquire into the best means of abating this nuisance may lead to some practicable remedy' f9r an evil which threatens to affect materially the sanitary conditio"U·, of towns in the neighborhood ofthe Gol<;l Fields. · · · ·· ·

' · The efforts of the Municipal Cotmcils to~ards the extension of surface drainage have been to some extent impeded by the want of powers ·to effect the drainage of private properties which ·have been laid out without I'egard -to this requirement. It is proposed to obviate this difficulty by ·empowering Local Boards of Health to cause . the formation of necessary drains through private property, whether occupied or not, provided that equitable .compensa­tion shall be made for any damage that may be done, and. that due notice of any order to be made under the proposed provision shall be given to afford time for appeal against such order, in case the· persons .interested may deem themselves aggi·ieved or likely to be injured thereby. . . ,.

"

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It is very desirable that some remedial means· should be adopted in this respect before the increase in the number of small holdings of land laid out without any regard to drainage, has multiplied the impediments in the way of their adoption. The powers sought ·may at first sight appear somewhat arbitrary, but under proper supervision it does not appear that their exercise would in the general be productive of injury to individuals ; exceptional cases are, provided for by the power to claim compensation, and there can be no question as to the benefit accruing to the community at large in the removal of an impediment to the due provision of so important a requirement as drainage.

In the township of Beechworth the difficulty has been met. by the Local Board who, at their own expense, have laid down main drains of wood, 12 x 12 inches, through private properties, the owners of which the Local Board report, have in most instances laid therefrom small connecting drai:t;~s into the mains ; it 'appears that in .this instance, the owners of property recognizing the benefit to be derived from drainage, were unanimous in· permitting the Local Board to run drains through their premises. ·

At Beechworth, and in other instances; some of the allotments as originally laid out, are so situated as to have no outlet for drainage except through adjacent private ·property ;· we deemed it necessary to bring this matter under the consideration of the Government, in order that in the formation of townships for the futur-e, provision should be made for the drainage of every allotment, and we are glad to learn that instructions in regard to this 'and other necessary provisions have been prepared by the Surveyor General.

The attention of the Municipal Councils ·have been . dir~cted to .the drainage of swamps in their neighborhood. The Lo~al Board of Emerald Hill, in alluding to this subject, state-. ·

There is one evil which threatens to be a fruitful·source of disease over which tM Local Board has no control, as ·it is the low.swampy crown lands lying between Emerald Hill and the St. Kilda road. The medical men of this district are of opinion that unless' the Government secure the thorough drainage of this land, and that immediately, some .serious disease will break out. ·

Although we cannot view these swamps in·the same light as the Local Board of Emerald Hill, as the exciting cause of an outbreak of disease, there is no question but that theit· existencP. in densely populated neighborhoods tends to lower the standard of health, and to predispose the population to the attacks of disease, and that their removal, in a. sanitary point of view,· is exceedingly desirable. '\Ve understand, however, that the permanent reser­vation of this land, in connection with the military barracks, has been under consideration, and that if this course is adopted provision will be made for its drainage.

The extension of works for surface drainage has been energetically canied on by the local councils, who fully recognise the importance of this requirement ; but, in the absence of any provisio,n for underground sewerage, the disposal of refuse is daily becoming of more urgent importance in regard to its due regulation. The plarr which is at present adopted of removing night soil, &c., ·to depots fixed in the neighborhood of ,municipal boundaries, has, in more than one instance, been productive of considerable offence, and in the case of the depot at Parkside, which is the receptacle for the refuse of Melbourne, East Collingwood, and FitzRoy, it has increased to such an extent as to necessitate the immediate adoption of means for its removal; the subject has been prominently brought before the Health Committee of the City

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Council, and is now under their special . consideration, and a plan has been proposed for the entire removal of the night soil, &c., to a site on the Keilor Plains by means of the railway. This scheme will be brought under the notice of the Government, and we trust will receive favorable consideration, as it affords, in our opi~1ion, the most practicable means, under present circumstances, for the disposal of the refuse of the city without offence.

. But in recommending this course as a temporary expedient, in the want of more effectual means, we desire to direct attention to the importance of immediate action in regard to the establishment of a system of sewer­age in this city. In our First Annual Report in January, 1856, we expressed an opinion that, considering the then unsettled state· of the sewerage question in Europe, it was not desirable to incur so large an outlay as would be required for this purpose, but since this time the question has been thoroughly investigated, and the possibility of the economic application of the principle of underground sewerage for the removal of filth and refuse of towns, has been practically demonstrated by the successful initiation of works of this nature on improved principle~ in many of the cities and towns of the mother country. . The city of Ely and the town of Croydon are examples of the beneficial influence exerted by a proper and complete system of sewerage and drainage on the sanitary condition of populou~ districts. We look upon the results ariived at in these places as conclusive, and we desire to record our opinion, that a system of sewerage by means of tubular

. drains should be at once carried out in the city of Melbourne.

It appears, fi·om the local rworts, that little difficulty is experienced in the removal of ordinary nuisances the local officers having met with but little ppposition in this. respect fi·om the inhabitants, who have generally given effect to the notices of the LJcal Board without recourse being had to legal proceedings. Bye-laws for the prevention of the deposit of refuse on streets, lanes, and unoccupied lands, for the regulation of offensive trades, and the situation and proper construction of necessaries have been passed by many of the n~unicipal councils, and, as their reports state, enforced without difficulty. There is .no doubt but that the bye-laws made in this respect have been productive of much l)enefit, but there is still considerable room for improvement. The evils attendant, upon the system of open cesspools are materially increased by defective construction, but, although we have brQught this matter prominently under the notice of the Local Boards we are unable to report that any general remedial.measures have been adopted; in isolated cases1 coming under our notice, nuisances arising from this cause are promptly abated on representation to the local authorities, but we woutd be glad to see a more general application of the provisions of the lOth and 12th sections of the Public Health Act

A simple, inexpensive, but effective expedient for preventing the con­tinual increment of offensive impurities in the soil of towns, arising from the percolation of liquid filth from cesspools, which, in many instances, coi1sist merely of a hole dug in the ground, is provided by the use of a sound cask or barrel, which may be purchased· for a few shillings; but this as well as any other means is. ineffective unless under efficient supervi~ion as regards cleansing, and until the pro\t'i.sions of the Health Act are so amended as to enforce greater attention to this requirement, it is useless to recommend them.

An improvement has cert:'tinly gradually obtained in the condition of ·.the slaughter-houses in the City of Melbourne as regards cleanliness; these

places, howeveT, cannot, even under the most stringent regulations, be other­wise than productive of considerable offence, and we are glad to be able to report that the establishment of abbatoirs at a distance from the centres of population has obtained general attention, and is likely, in several instances, to be carried out.

. Considerable activity has been displayed by the Local Boards in pre­ventingthe establishment of offensive trades or ma.nufiwtories in their districts, but some difficulty has been experienced in the regulation of manufactories established prior to the extension of the Public Health Act. Here again the law i~ at fault in not providing such an accurate definition of the conditions under which trades are to be deemed offensive, as to prevent objections which, although having no real merit for consideration, are of sufficient weight in law to preclude the successful application of the provisions of the Act as they at present stand.

We regret that generally the Local Boards do not bring these and similar difficulties experienced in the sanitary regulation of their district under our notice at the time of their occurrence, a considerable period frequently · elapsing before our attention is directed to them by the periodical reports of the Local Boards. Prompt information in these respeets would frequently enable us to assist the Local Boards in the removal of impediments to their proceedings arising from local causes by the application of general experience, and we trust that the Local ·Boards will in ~ture more generally avail them­selves of the assistance we have tendered.

Our attention having been directed to the favorable condition in a; sanitary point .of view of the Chinese camp at Beechworth, as contrasted with

"those in the neighborhood of other mining districts, we obtained detailed information in regard to the regulatiQils in force, and the plan of arrange­ment observed in the camps of that place.

We deemed it very desirable that the systematic plan of arrangement and regulation submitted to us, and which under active supervision had produced at Beechworth the most favorable results, should be generally . adopted, and with this view we brought the matter specially under the notice of the Government, recommending that copies of the rules and plan of arrangement should be furnished to each Chinese Protector with instructions · for the adoption of the system in the regulation of the Chinese camps in the district under his control.

The only report alluding to this subject, whreh we have received, is from the Local Board of East Ballaarat. From this report it appears, that after some correspondence between the Local Board and the Chinese Pro­tector, the necessary remedial measures were taken.

Considerable alarm has at different times been created by the report of the appearance of a disease of an infectious nature amongst the Chinese, and, during tl1e latter part of the year 1858, attention .was again directed to the occurrence of certain cases of disease at Castlemaine. It appears that much misapprehension exists, both in regard to the ·diseases to which the Chinese are subject,· and as to the infective qualities of this particular disease ( Elephantia.sis Grecorum ). In this instance, however, the disease could not, in any case, be traced to infection or contagion, or hereditary causes, and the investigations made into its origin and character have led to the fol­lowing: conclusions :-

'-'

1st. That the disease is a blood disease, and is probably to be attributed, not to any peculiarity of constitution, but to the influence of uncleanly habits, bad food and lodging, conditions to which the Chinese are generally exposed.

2nd. That the disease is not infectious or contagious. No. s, c.

-----······-~··

14

Assuming that these conclusions, which arc supported hy previous experi!3nce, are correct, it follovvs that the only practical measures of amelioration, are an improvement in regard to structural arrangement, and the enforcement of cleanliness and sanitary regulations, in the Chinese camps. We have already detailed the recommendations nutde in this respect, and we can only reiterate the opinion exiJressed in a former report, that, under active supervision, the Chinese may be made to provide effectually for these requirements, which, it has often· been suggested, should come under the special administration of the Government.

In concluding our Report, we must again a.llude to the deficiencies in the laws relating to public health in this colony. In the year 1857 we

· prepared a Bill f?r the amendment of the Publi~ Health Act, ht_lt owin~ to ~e precedence gnren to t,ther matters the nttentiOn of the Legislature has not yet been directed to the subject. It is our intention to endeavor to obtain the introduction of a measure in this respect during the next session of Parliament, and we trust that the ma.gnitude of the interests involved, and a review of the advantages which may be secured by a progressive advancement in respect to sanibiry organization, coincident with the increase of population and of towns in this colony, will obtain the consideration of the Legislature.

,V, McCREA, President. C. PASLEY. RICH. YOL'L .

. 'V.ILLIAM M. BELL.

15

APPENDICES.

No.l . .ANALYSES OF '\YATER, THE USE OF WHICH HAD CAUSED LEAD POISONING.

COMMISSIONERS' PIPES AT MAIN GAOL. Contained in l 'Imp. Gali.

Service to Warden's House, undisturbed during night - - 2'4 .grs. Sulphuret of Lead. Do. under ordinary conditions of supply ·9 , ,

Service to Governor's House, undisturbed during night - - l ·8 , , Do. under ordinary conditions of supply 1·5 , ,

CoMliirssroNERS' PrPE IN CoLLINS-STREET (McGrLLs).

Service undisturbed during night - 3·2 " Oxide of Lead. Do. under ordinary conditions of supply - - •25 " "

No. 2 . .ANALYSES OF WATER DRAWN THROUGH PIPES LAID FOR EXPERThiENT.

No. 1 Pipe composed of lead alloyed with 5 per cent. of tin, 54 ft. in length. No. 2 Pipe· composed of comnl.on lead, without alloy or coating, 51 ft. in length.

No. 1. Twelve hours undisturbed No. 2. Do. Do. No. I. One week undisturbtld No. 2. Do. Do. No. 1. Filled with air 18 hours and water 2 hours No: 2. Do. Do.

Contained in I Imp. Gall.

No trace. Do.

·25 grs. Oxide of Lead. ·5 , "

1•8 " " No trace.

ANALYSES OF CONSTITUENTS OF PIPES.

! Lead 94·8

1 Tin 5•2 100.

No. 1.

l Lead 99·6 Tin :4

-100. No. 2.

No. 3 . .ANALYSES OF WATER DRAWN FROM VARIOUS SERVICES OF COMMIS­

SIONERS' PIPE AND COMMON LEAD PIPE. I

SERVICES LAID IN 1856.

CO:Illi!!ISSIONERS' PIPE. 11

COMMON LEAD PIPE.

When laid 1'\'\<'hen dr0:wn Length. ~erviee

Result in I N Wlten laid W1 d Length. ~ervice Result in No. on. • feet. !;~;;;.. limp gal. 1_:1_:__1__:_:: _:_- I imp. gal. ----

1856. 1858. · 1856. 1 I859. I June IS Nov. 28 157 13 L '65 I · Aug. Jan. 7 lOO ll none 2 July 24

" 29 76 12 trace 2 Sep. 24 7 120 12 {

scarcely 3 Nov. 300 12 trace " a trace

" 3 " 27

" 8 115 12 none

1858. 4 Dec. Dec. 23 100 14 none 5 : " "

23 70 12 none 6 " "

23 100 12 ·6 gr.

I

7 " " 23 94 12 none

8 " "

24 70 12 none

1 9

" " 24 lOO 12 none

NoTE.-In Tables Nos. 3 and 4, tne ammmt oflead is estimated as Sulphide of Lead, 120 parts of which equal 112 parts of Oxide of Lead.

16

No. 3-continued. . . . SERVICES LAID IN 1857.

COl\fMISSIONERS' .l'l:PE. GOl\BION l.JEAD PIPE.

When laid Service

Result iri i Service

[ Ko:. IWhe.ndrawn No • When laid jwhen draw11 Length. 1 undisturbed Result in • Qn. ~ .fQr:::' 1 imp •• gal. on~. feet, for-, 1 imp. gal.

hours. --- ---J-

1857. 1858.

I 1857. .

1 Jl,far. lO Nov. 25 35 ' 14'5 trace 1 Dec. Dec. 10 60 14 1•1 2 AprH 8 Dec. 2 90 15 '9 2

" " 10 so 42 1•6

3 9. Nov. 24 60 12 .trace 3 "

,. 21 lOO 12 trace '4 ."· " , 9

" 24 60 14 trace

·5 May 7 Dec. 2 60 12 trace 6· June 1. " 3 24 14 ·a 7

" 9

" 8 . 60 Ill ·'trace ' '8 July 6 "

3 ao 12 trace 9

" 6

" 4 12 •75

10 , 6 "

7. ., 12 trace 11 29 Nov. 20 350 14 1'30 12 'A{;g. 4 24 75 12 none J···> ..

" 13 Sept. 16 "

25 40 12 trace .J >

14 Nov. "

70 12.· 1•5 15

" . 40 i- 12- ·.·trace· .. -... 16 Dec. "

64 12 I ·5 17 " "

123 12 '5 IS a2 12 none " " " ... 19

.!' " lOO '12 1•2

' .. '~ .. SERVICES LAID IN 1859. '

I 1858. 1858:

I

1858. 1858. 1 .Jan. 15 Nov~ 2a 70 14 trace 1 Jan, ao Dec. 10 60 la ·a 2 " . 18 . " 264 14 .. ·8 2 "· ao

" 21 50 .12 trace

3 " 2' Dec. 3 180 14 1•20 a Feb. 10 " 28 60 12 '4

4 " ,. 22 ~ov. 13 64 14' . trace 1859. ..

5 "

29 Dec. 3 100 13 !•50 4 May Jan. 7 25 14 trace 6 Feb. 2 Nov. 20 35 .11·5 trace 1858. 7

" 2 Dec. 2 80 .12'5 trace 5 ()et. Dec. 10 60 40 ·a

s "

2 Nov. 23 90 12•25 '2 6 " " 28 50 16 ·a

9 "

2 "

150 12 1'2 7 Nov. 10 "

16 50 12 '2 10

" 2

" 3oo· 12 trace 8

" 14

" 20 60 13 •6

11 :Mar. 1 "

20 65 12•5- •4 1859. 12 ·" 13 Dec. 7 35 11 .none 9

" 14 Jan. 7 40 12 '5

13 "

Nov. 50 12 ·8 lO "

14 "

7 70 12 '6 14

April " 50 12 •1 ll

" 15

" 8 a7 11 trace

15 Dec. 1 150 1a •75 12 Dec. 6 "

11 50 12 •2 '16 :May " 7 72 12 '6 13

" 8 p 15 40 1a •1

17 June " 7 a5 12 ·os 14 "

9 " ... 9 35 12 •4

18 " " 7 40 12'5 '6 15

" 10

" 15 sa 12'5 •2

19 July 5 Nov. 19 95 14•5 '4 . 16 ., la "

9 58 12 ·3 20

" 6 Dec. 8 35 12 none 17

" 13

" . 10 163 22 '5

21 ,. 15 Nov. 27 80 12'25 '15 18 , 20. " 10 52 15 '4

22 "

Dec. 4 40 •12 trace 23 Aug.a1 Nov. 20 150 13 trace MIXED PtPE Oi' CoMMON LEAD AND COMl!ISSIO.NEllS' LAID 24 Sept. "

28 70 12 '6 I!< 1858,

25 'Oct. , 60 18 6'6 I 26 "

, 60. ·18 ·os 1 Aug. 16 No.v. 30 12 . l

27 40 12 ·os I 2 Oct. 7 " 60 12 trace , ,

I 28 , "

50 12 trace 3 " 7 , 40 12 '5

29 "

, 40 12 •2 30

" ,. 20 12 . 1

31 "

, 20 12 trace

I 32' "·. " .. 40 12 trace

33 "

,. 70 12 trace 34 , "

32 12 trace 35

" " 80 12 trtwe

36 , , ao 60 12 '45. 37

" " 30 40 11 •9

38 " Dec. 28 60 18 •2

No. 4. TABLE of Resu1ts ded-qced fro:m Analyses of Water taken from services of various descrip-

. tions of Piping . . .. .

Average Length Average Amount No. No. not Description of Pipe; and Dii.te laid.down.

No. of Samples of Le•d to each containing ·containing Analysed. of Pip;es. Service.· Lead. I..e!'d·

Commissionex:s' pipe, 1856 ... 3 177'6 '55 3 ... Ditto 1857 ... ... 19 72•8 •36 17 2 Ditto 1858 ... . .. 38 78•2 •47 as 2

Common l~ad pipe, 1856 ... ... 9 85'4 ·os 2 7 Ditto 1§57 ... ... 3 so· ·9 3 ... Ditto 1858 ... ... 18 55'2 •29 18 ...

Mixed pipe, 1898 . . . ~ .... 3 43'3 '2 a ...

By·Authority: JoHN FERRES, Government Printer Melbourne. ·