H.—3l.

Notification of Infections Disease. The lack of systematic notification heretofore has made it impossible to form an accurate idea of the sanitary conditions of the Auckland District, and, apart from the loss from a statistical point of view, has resulted in a general indifference on the part of the public through lack of knowledge of the actual state of affairs, and a carelessness as regards disinfection and isolation. Since 1901 the notifications have been, I believe, fairly complete, especially since the introduction of notification fees at the beginning of March. There is still room for improvement, however, especially as regards the notification of the local body by the householder. There is still a slight element of resentment on the part of both patient and medical man that any control should be exercised by the State over what they have hitherto regarded as a matter affecting themselves only. But this is to be expected on the introduction of any reform, and I feel sure is lessening, and will shortly disappear when they become more accustomed to it and realise that it leads to measures being taken for the protection of public health. The issue to public bodies of notices to disinfect premises has had a very good effect, as, apart from the actual preventive measures taken, it serves to keep the local authority alive to its sanitary functions. In the same way I have found it of benefit to publish in the Press a monthly list of the diseases notified in each district, as it stimulates to efforts on the part of the local bodies to keep their name out of the list, and it is a satisfactory sign that each bitterly resents any error on my part in attributing to them a case which may have occurred just outside their borders. Medical men frequently complain to me of the number and elaborateness of the forms they are required to fill in notifying each case. Whether there is justification for this complaint or not, I believe it would tend to accuracy were it made as simple as possible. This same form could be made to serve for the notification of both by being forwarded to the local body by the householder —the medical man at present fills in the S.A. Form as we'll as the other two. One addition, I think, would be of value —that is, in the case of children in the household, the insertion of the name of the school they attend. Warning could then be issued to the school authorities to prevent the children attending during the necessary period of quarantine. Of course, where the Sanitary Inspector can visit the infected houses and get such details this would be unnecessary, but in outlying suburbs and in the country this is at present impossible. The attached table gives in detail the particulars of notifications received during the ten months from August, 1901, to the end of May, 1902, from each sanitary area, typhoid and scarlet fever being the chief diseases dealt with during that time, and in all the City of Auckland shows perhaps a higher proportion than the population actually warrants: —

Summary of Infectious Diseases from August, 1901, to May, 1902.

4—H. 31.

33

'igures in irac :ets in' [lea ;e to num ier :nown lave occurrei in ihe year une, , to ')', !•] City, Suburb, and County. __ Enteric. diphtheria. Mea sl es. p £^ Influenza. Tuberculosis. Auckland City .. Mount Eden Grey Lynn Borough Eden Terraoe Newmarket Borough Epsom Onehunga Remuera Mount Albert Devonport Borough Parnell Borough Mount Roskill .. Avondale Arch Hill Mount Wellington One-Tree Hill Tamaki West Coromandel County Manukau County Waitemata County Hobson County Cambridge Borough Eotorua Town Board Hamilton Borough Thames County and Board Tauranga Borough Waikato County Marsden County Ohinemuri County Bay of Islands County .. Raglan County Taupo County Whangarei County Rodney County Otamatea County Piako County Waipa County Mongonui County 61 [80] 14 1 5 2 35 1 6 5 1 27 2 1 1 2 2 1 2 17 2 2 1 14 1 16 1 17 3 3 6 1 3 4 18 [20] 1 2 1 4 1 3 2 2 1 2 1 1 "i 1 '2 6 h 1 [1] [1] 1 1 1 2 2 "9 2 1 1 "l 4 3 1 9 2 [5] 1 1 "6 2 i 1 i i 5 1 19 [48] 7 9 3 1 2 3 6 i 1 6 10 4 1 9 [12] 6 1 i io 4 1 1 i 2 12 1 2 1 3 1 [2] i 1 1 1 i 2 '2 Totals 182 [241] 117 51 I 54 24 24 69