Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the Colony on the public health ... / Cape of Good Hope.

  • Cape of Good Hope (South Africa). Department of Public Health.
Date:
[1906]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the Colony on the public health ... / Cape of Good Hope. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    adequate supply; water pure, and no known cause of pollution. Rainfall, 19U6, 12'92 inches. iNTig’ht-soil removed by Municipality twice or three times a week, or oltener when required ; * slop-water and refuse removed daily by Municipality. No overcrowded dwellings, but some wood-and-iron dwellings are so small as to be scarcely habitable ; there is no immediate chance of their being replaced. A Municipal slaughterhouse has been erected and is a great improvement; it is situated on the south side of the town with good drainage and a cement lloor, is kept clean, and offal freely removed; there are three separate storage chambers, while all slaughtering is done in open near to which is a plentiful supply of well water for ablution and other purposes. The three butcheries are all fairly well kept, but leave much to be desired. An ice chamber has just been completed here by the Government for the storage of meat and butter ivhilst awaiting re¬ moval. A Municipal Location has now been established; what was termed the “ big Location has now in part been removed, and the remaining houses are in fair condition, and the general surroundings clean; water-supply not yet pro¬ vided; there are several wells owned by Natives, and water from these is presumably sold. New cemetery laid out; has been inspected by the Assistant Health Officer for the Colony; Proclamation by Government authorising it, is now awaited; up to the present only the Kailway Cemetery available ; this is now almost full; a scheme is afoot ‘ for establishing one large cemetery on Municipal ground to be used generally by the Kailway and Municipal Authorities ; the new cemetery will include the collection of Native graves mentioned in last report as being not under control and very untidy; the old cemetery is very neat and well kept. Prompt steps are taken by the Local Authority to abate any nuisance. No isolation Hospital accommodation ; cases generally isolated in their own homes, or, in case of Small-pox, in tents ; in cases of emergency outside patients are admitted to a Kailway Hospital on payment. Nine cases of Enteric Eever with four deaths ; three cases arose m the town or camp, the others were imported. A few cases of Whooping Cough occurred. No Diphtheria. No Small-pox. Sharp outbreak of Measles occurred; nearly all the children in the town and Kailway camp contracted it; disease of a mild type ; very few deaths. No public vaccination during the year, though there were many private vaccinations. Tuberculosis apparently on increase amongst Natives; generally pulmonary; deaths, 10 Natives and 4 Europeans; chief cause is promiscuous expectoration in ] Hits by persons suffering from disease, with subsequent inhalation of the infection by others; incipient cases should be treated in a Government hospital or sana¬ torium. Yery little Syphilis now in District; disease chiefly amongst Hottentot ser¬ vants, usually in the secondary stage ; no special regulations, except that the C.l). Acts are in force. A few cases of Low Eever, now called Undulatory Eever, occurred m District; diagnosis was not confirmed by the agglutination test; source of infection not known. Estimated population of District:—Europeans, 1,0/4; Coloured, 2,19/ ; Total, 0,271. Births registered, 1906Europeans, 39; Coloured, 66. Deaths regis¬ tered:—Europeans, 18; Coloured, 73. Deaths under 1 year: Europeans, 4; Coloured, 26. CALEDON.—Dn. A. J. Albertyn, District Surgeon. Water-supply derived from springs in Swarteberg Mountains ; piped to the town; is of good quality, and is throughout protected from pollution; irrigation supply from same source stored in a reservoir containing some 6,000,000 gallons and led to town in open furrows. Sewerage and drainage in a few instances car¬ ried out by means of patent pipes ; method gen erally adopted is that of removal by carts; night-soil removed by bucket system and deposited in pits two miles from the village; compulsory fortnightly removal system in operation. Slop- water similarly disposed of. Kefuse now removed further away from the north side of the town ; this is a great improvement. No serious overcrowding. Three slaughter-houses on outskirts of town; are systematically inspected, but ample scope remains for improvement, as they are anything but sanitary. Management of butcheries and bakeries most unsatisfactory. Swine in isolated instances are kept in backyards—this is an infringement of the Municipal Regulations and should not be tolerated. Genadendal and Beira, the only two Native Locations
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