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Otago and Southland Health District.—Report by District Health Officer (Dr. Chesson). I have the honour to submit my annual report for the above district for the year ending the 31st December, 1914. Many changes have been made in the district during the year. Formerly Waitaki, Maniototo, Vincent, Southland, Wallace, and Fiord formed part of the Canterbury District, Otago being a separate district worked from Dunedin. In May Dr. Champtaloup resigned his position as District Health Officer, and the above-named Hospital Boards districts were included in. the Otago Health District, and for a time were administered from Head Office, with Inspector Cameron supervising the work locally, pending the arrival of the newly appointed District Health Officer for that district. It having been, found advisable, however, to attach Dr. Smith to Head Office to assist Dr. Frengley during the absence of Dr. Valintine, the entire district was again attached to the Canterbury District for administrative purposes, and I made fortnightly visits to Dunedin for the purpose of dealing with affairs locally. Dr. Sydney Smith took over the district, however, in the latter part of December. I attach herewith appendices, being tables and data on the following matters : Notifiable infectious diseases, sanitary inspections, offensive trades, insanitary buildings, by-laws, legal proceedings, quarantine, disinfection of oversea goods, Immigration Restriction Act, Midwives Act, and Sale of Foods and Drugs Act. Attached hereto is Dr. Champtaloup's report for the Bacteriological and Public Health Laboratory, and Mr. Napier's report from the Public Health Analytical Laboratory. Herbert Chesson, M.R.C.S. (Eng.), L.R.C.P., D.P.H. (Lond.). 0. APPENDICES TO THE REPORTS OF THE DISTRICT HEALTH OFFICERS FOR THE YEAR 1914. (I.) INFECTIOUS DISEASES. The diseases declared to be infectious diseases in the meaning of the Public Health Act, and consequently notifiable, are as ''ollows : Scarlet fever, scarlatina, diphtheria, enteric fever, tuberculosis, puerperal fever (including milk-fever, saprsemia, acute sepsis, septicemia), plague, smallpox, leprosy, cholera, actinomycosis, hydatids, beriberi, blood-poisoning, cerebro-spinal meningitis (including cerebrospinal fever, cerebral typhus, spotted fever, petechial fever, malignant purpuric fever), poliomyelitis, typhus fever, chicken-pox. The following table shows the number of cases of infectious disease notified throughout the Dominion :—

Health District. Nature of Disease. j Wellington, , Canterb ot Total Auckland. and ™ d Scarlet fever Diphtheria Enteric fever Tuberculosis Blood-poisoning Chicken-pox Smallpox Poliomyelitis, cerebro-spinal meningitis, &c. Totals .. 109 536 521 340 1,506 379 350 255 111 1,095 537 ' 269 34 19 859' 245 307 235 170 957 65 55 16 26 162 513 370 147 93 1,123 63 .. .. .. 63 14 37 83 134 268 1,925 1,924 1,291 893 6,033