95 



TYPHOID IN HOBART AND MELBOURNE, AND 

 THE INFLUENCE OF DRAINAGE ON ITS PRE- 

 VALENCE. 



By James Jamieson, M.D., 



Health Officer, City of Melbourne. 

 (Bead October ISth, 1902). 



At the meeting of the Intercolonial Medical Congress at 

 Melbourne, in 1889, the subject of typhoid was largely con- 

 sidered, and was adopted as the matter of discussion at one 

 of the general meetings. At the end of that discussion a 

 series of resolutions were proposed and carried unanimously. 

 The first affirmed : " That the prevalence of typhoid is owing 

 mainly to insanitary conditions, and above all to contaminated 

 water supply, defective drainage, and improper disposal of 

 night soil." By the second it was declared : " That while there 

 is reason to believe that the sources of the water supply of 

 Melbourne are carefully guarded, it is certain that, as regards 

 drainage and night soil disposal the arrangements are very 

 unsatisfactory, and to these defects must be ascribed in great 

 measure the excessive prevalence of typhoid fever year after 

 year." By the third it was affirmed: "That in the opinion of 

 this Congress, it is the imperative duty of the Government 

 to take immediate steps for bringing about an improvement 

 in the sanitary condition of Melbourne, and specifically for the 

 construction of a proper system of underground drainage, 

 which shall include the removal of night soil by water 

 carriage." 



Though these resolutions had properly enough special 

 application to Melbourne, the affirmations were equally true 

 of other places where conditions at all similar prevailed. 

 The late Dr. Richard Bright, who took part in the discussion, 

 and seconded the last of the resolutions, declared in a very 

 positive way his belief that the excessive prevalence of 

 typhoid in Hobart, in the years just preceding the meeting 

 of the Congress, was greatly owing to the pan system. 



The resolutions took the shape they did very largely to 

 strengthen the hands of the medical profession in Melbourne 

 in their struggle for sanitary reform. It may be assumed 

 that their unanimous adoption and vigorous wording had 

 the effect intended, since the Government soon after engaged 

 the services of an eminent London engineer to rej^ort on the 

 best method for carrying out a scheme of underground 

 drainage In 1890 that report was received, and a 

 Metropolitan Board of Works constituted, with control of 

 water supply and drainage. With some modifications the 

 proposed plans were adopted, though for several years pro- 

 gress seemed to be slow. 



About five years ago house connections began to be made, 

 and now (August, 1902) 48,000 buildings out of about 100,000 



