H.—3l

34

Sale of Food and Drugs Act, both as regards the correct labelling of foods and improvements to premises where foods were manufactured or sold. The issuing of permits to travel, and other matters incident to the prevention of smallpox from Australia and from the North Island, also occupied a considerable part of my time in July and August. There has been no change in the Inspectors in the district except that Inspector McKenzie was transferred from Oamaru to Christchurch at the end of the year, to take up the position of Inspector of Weights and Measures. There are very few cases of infectious disease in the Waitaki Hospital District, and Inspector Cameron was to come up from Dunedin when required. The Inspectors have continued to carry out their duties with enthusiasm and satisfaction. Sanitary Inspectors are somewhat unique in having to frequently work overtime without any additional remuneration. The working of overtime is admittedly necessary under exceptional conditions and is done cheerfully, but when it is frequently necessary under normal conditions it indicates that an additional Inspector is required. I attach hereto appendices dealing with the following: Notifiable infectious disease, dangerous infectious disease, provision for infectious disease, sanitary conditions of district, sanitary conditions of Maoris, sanitary inspections, offensive trades, insanitary buildings, by-laws, legal proceedings under Public Health Act and local by-laws, inspection of oversea goods, Immigration Restriction Act, Midwives Act, Sale of Foods and Drugs Act. H. E. I-'inch, M.B. (0x011.). D.P.H. (Camb.). Otago Hospital District.—Report by the District Health Officer (Dr. Champtai.oip). I have the honour to submit a report on infectious diseases for this district for the year ending 31st December, 1913, that part of the administration of the Public Health Act relating to sanitary matters being under the control of Dr. Finch (vide reports on each notifiable disease). As 1 pointed out last year, the accommodation in the laboratories is very fully taxed, and the attached class-rooms are quite inadequate to cope with the University classes. There is a movement on foot, however, to raise funds to provide a medical school block opposite the Hospital, in which the laboratories will be housed. I have every reason to believe that the movement will be successful. Negotiations have been in progress for some time between the University and the Department regarding the appointment of a Public Analyst for Dunedin. The University Council has agreed that the Analyst should be assistant to the Professor of Chemistry and have his laboratory at the University. This has, I believe, been favourably considered by the Department, and 1 hope the Analyst will take up his duties at an early date. In my last report I pointed out the necessity for a full-time District Health Officer for this district. Owing to a generous Government grant the University will shortly be in a position to establish the Chair of Bacteriology and Public Health on a full-time basis, so that the office of District Health Officer and the University Chair will be separated. Sydney T. Champtaloup, M.8., Ch.B., B.Sc. (P.H.). E. APPENDICES TO THE REPORTS OF THE DISTRICT HEALTH OFFICERS FOR THE YEAR 1913. (I.) INFECTIOUS DISEASES. The diseases declared to be infectious diseases in the meaning of the Public Health Act, and consequently notifiable, are as follows : Scarlet fever, scalatina, diphtheria, enteric fever, tuberculosis, puerperal fever (including milk-fever, sapnemia, acute sepsis, septictemia), plague, smallpox, leprosy, cholera, actinomycosis, hydatids, beri-beri, blood-poisoning, cerebo-spinal meningitis (including cerebro-spinal fever, cerebral typhus, spotted fever, petechial fever, malignant purpuric fever), typhus fever, chicken-pox. The following table shows the number of cases of infectious disease notified throughout the Dominion during the year ended 31st December, ! 9 I ■'! : —

• Health District. Nature of Disease. Auckland. Auckland. • Wellington, Canterbury. Hawke's Bay J Westland, Marlborough,' and and Nelson. Southland. Otago.* Total. I Scarlet fever Diphtheria Enteric fever Tuberculosis Blood-poisoning Chicken-pox Smallpox J 203 217 412 246 67 492 466 203 217 412 246 67 492 466 760 449 254 227 420 27 341 334 35 10 322 204 4 202 f-19 • I 119 1,614 747 863 1,018 118 1,137 470 Totals .. 2,133 2,133 2,136 1.251 447 5,967 • Otago Hos lital District.