HEALTH OFFICER'S REPORTS FOR NELSON.

Colonist, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11736, 19 September 1906, Page 2

HEALTH OFFICER'S REPORTS FOR NELSON.

The Health Officer, in "the course of his report on the Nelson district, ■ presented with the annual statement I of the Department of Public Health to-day, says: — "Dr Hudson is now : in charge-of this district, and will i furnish a separate report on the i sanitary needs. I have paid several visits during the year, for special purposes, amongst others the inspection of the new sarii tori urn, already reported on. The question of appointing a Sanitary Inspector was discussed by the Council in the presence of Dr Hudson and myself, but no basis of agreement was arrived at, There has been practically no inspection done since Mr Middleton went on leave. I made an analysis of the water suply during December, and found it to be in excellent condition. I Waited Motueka to make enquiries as to the question whether there was any truth in the report that the Library had been the means of spreading cancer among those most in contact with the books. A strong feeling exists in the neighborhood that this was the case, and since the Library was not being used it was no hardship en the Borough when the Cabinet directed that the Library be closed officially by the Health Department, The question of the disposal of the boo^s remains unsettled. A full report on the circumstances has been submitted to the head office. The Nelson district generally has been fairly free from infectious disease a fortunate circumstance in view of the inaction of thl Hospital Board in the matter of providing accommodation for such cases. The year may be considered to have been a fairly healthy one, scarlet fever and diphtheria predominating in the Motueka district, and typhoid and tuber culosis in Nelson city. With regard to the latter, however, a goodly percentage were visitors from other parts of the Colony. There has ; been no epidemic of any severity during tne year." In his report Dr Hudson says that the drainage scheme is now fairly in hand ; the money for the loan has been raised; Mr Mestayer is at work on the plans; and several thousand pounds worth of plant has be<m ordered from England ; no actual work, however, has yet been commenced in the town. The town has had no Sanitary Inspector si nee Mr Middleton left last June. Negotiations are being undertaken for the appointment of one. The provisions of the Public Health Act cannot be properly carried out without a qualified Inspector. In regard to the water supply, it is stated that the new dam gives an abundant supply, and during the year the water was analysed by Dr. Makgill and found quite satisfactory. The scarlet fever epidemic, which commenced in Nelson by an imported case about October, 1900, has now almost entirely ceased in the town, and it is gradually dying out in the remote country districts, which, of course, contracted it much later than Nelson. There has been very little diphtheria in Nelson City for several years. One case died at an hotel during the year, and this was an imported case, and did not spread. It is. however, rather too frequent in Motueka and Riwaka. Enteric fever is below the average in the town, and it is almost non-existent in the country districts. Tuberculosis is more prevalent in the city than in the country, but this is, a? might be expected. Dysentry, which formerly was prevalent in both town and country, has for the last ten to fifteen years been almost non-exiet-ent. This is, no doubt, due to improved attention to sanitary details on the part of the inhabitants. One case occurred in the town during February, and was undoubtedly due to defective sanitation. Under good sanitation the Blind Bay District might be one of the healthiest localities in the world.