442 The Public Health. [ July, 
when a case of fever occurs he comes down upon it forthwith, and 
effects a removal and therefore isolation, and then takes active 
measures to clean and disinfect the infected house. 
In the last number of the Journal we referred to the efforts 
being made in Edinburgh to improve the condition of the poor of 
that city. The report from which we quoted has since been issued, 
and its startling facts have so thoroughly enlisted the sympathies of 
many professional, and well-to-do people generally, that an associa- 
tion is now formed for having the poor systematically visited, so 
that proper remedial measures may be adopted to ensure the eradi- 
cation of at least some of the physical, social, and moral evil which 
at present runs riot in many parts of the Old Town of Edinburgh. 
The Lord Provost and magistrates of Edinburgh are now so much 
roused that they are publicly advertising their intention to enforce the 
provisions of the ‘Local Police Acts’ and of the ‘ Public Health (Seot- 
land) Act, 1867, against overcrowding in dwelling-houses, and that 
they will exact the prescribed penalties in every case of conviction. It 
is to be hoped that they will thus succeed in their efforts to diminish 
preventable disease; and that they may induce capitalists to build 
houses in healthy localities and in accordance with the most advanced 
sanitary knowledge of the present day. The water-supply of the city 
is in the hands of a company, and is frequently complaimed of both 
as to quantity and quality. If disease is to be diminished by per- 
sonal cleanliness among the people, they must be in a position to get 
plenty of good water always when it is wanted; and we are glad to 
notice that an active member of the town-council is now (June) 
about to bring up the whole subject of water-supply to the city and 
surrounding districts for full consideration. The town-council of 
Leith is also moving in the same direction. Although the last- 
mentioned town is, generally speaking, in a healthy state, and the 
death-rate under the average, still for the last two months there has 
been an epidemic of scarlet fever prevalent in many parts of the 
burgh ; and it has been particularly fatal among the young. This 
state of things ought not to exist; and it is satisfactory to know 
that both the Medical Officer of Health and the Health Committee 
are energetically endeavouring to cope with it. 
A considerable amount of good has been done in the town of 
Paisley by a Ladies’ Sanitary Society, which has been in existence 
for several years. As the new Public Health Act is now in opera- 
tion, the well-intended labours of the Society are in a great measure 
superseded by those of the public authorities ; still the ladies who 
have hitherto been banded together in well-doing do not wish to 
cease in their well-doing, and they have wisely, we think, resolved 
on directing their future efforts chiefly to sanitary education, by 
the distribution of tracts, visitation classes, mothers’ meetings, and 
lectures; they have also resolyed that special attention should be 
