HH62/2/ROXBUR/7

Transcription

[Page] 6

3. The inspection of dairies and byres, visits to be made
quarterly; owing to the large number of byres,
much time must be occupied in this work.
4. Inspection of common lodging-houses. There is only
one in the County, in Yetholm; but, as it has to be
visited monthly, twelve days a-year have to be spent
in that village or its immediate neighbourhood.
5. The inspection of bakehouses, about two visits a-year
to each.
6. The inspection of slaughter-houses, required at least
quarterly.
7. Supervision of new drainage works, one of the most
important of an inspector's duties, and occasionally
occupying much time.
8. Visits to houses in which are cases of infectious disease.
9. Fumigation of above houses, and the disinfection of
clothing - a proceeding which, with time spent in
travelling, usually occupies a day.
10. Seizure of unwholesome food.
11. Attendance during legal proceedings, getting up evi-
dence, finding witnesses.
12.Collection of samples of water and the inspection of
wells.
13. The keeping of registers and records of all work done.
The issuing of notices, correspondence, and the
preparation of special and periodical reports for the
five District Committees and the County Council.

The only assistance the Inspector has is that of the police,
but it is clearly out of the question that the constables be
asked to make inspections, or carry out disinfection, or
perform the ordinary duties of a sanitary inspector. The
members of the police force must receive all orders through
the Chief Constable, and I may here take the opportunity of
acknowledging the courtesy of this gentleman, and thanking
him for the trouble he has taken in arranging to render the

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assistance of the constables as effectual as the nature of the
force renders possible.
Police assistance is practically confined to giving infor-
mation, and the constables have orders to report to the
Sanitary Inspector any cases that come to their knowledge
in which his interference is necessary.
VITAL STATISTICS. - In addition to observation of those
things which are known to affect the health of the community
injuriously, it is necessary - to study the effect on the public
health of the general conditions of life, and, by means of rates,
to compare the mortality with that at other places or at other
times; for this purpose mortality tables are constructed
showing the number of deaths which have occurred within
the past year. It is also useful to record the mortality in
a convenient form for future reference, and for the use of
those who are studying the conditions which influence the
spread of disease - a study of which the public ultimately
receives the benefit.
An accurate statement of the population is required if
averages and rates are to be trustworthy, and it is, perhaps,
a medical officer's first duty to ascertain the population within
his district.
As the population is not constant, it is usual to make an
estimate of the changes which have occurred since the last
census, and this may be easily done in the case of large
populations; but in a purely agricultural community the
number of the people depends more on the methods of
farming than on the natural increase, and cannot be even
approximately estimated by means of a mathematical calcula-
ion. An estimate based on the excess of births over deaths
gives no better result, owing to the emigration of numbers of
young persons to the large manufacturing towns. Under the
circumstances, I shall take the number of the population as
found at the last census in March, 1891, believing that
figure to be as nearly correct as any estimate that can be
given.