1865.J On the Predisposing Causes of Pestilence. 385 



unwittingly or unavoidably exposed to the contagion of fever in over- 

 crowded and ill-ventilated apartments, sanitary visitation can only be 

 an imperfect check upon the spread of this disease. The strong con- 

 victions I entertain on this subject, and the very decided support 

 afforded to those convictions by the facts of the present epidemic, 

 have induced me to recommend a* more stringent application than 

 heretofore of the new powers conferred by the Glasgow Police Act, in 

 two of the most notorious fever localities ; and I shall be guided by 

 the effect of these recommendations in making further efforts in the 

 same direction. It is of importance that in the application of these 

 stringent clauses there should be nothing ill-considered, nothing arbi- 

 trary or indefensible. I am, therefore, well content that these two 

 cases should be fully and clearly before the public as a basis for future 

 action ; and I hope that, by securing in advance the influence of free 

 discussion and the support of public opinion to the measures proposed, 

 they will be rendered both more safe and more efficient for the pur- 

 pose in view — the gradual reformation, and in some cases reconstruc- 

 tion, of the houses of the poorer classes, in accordance with those 

 conditions which can alone deprive epidemic disease of its most 

 dangerous peculiarities." 



And what are the " two cases " to which reference is here made ? 



We will give them, as far as liese pages can do so, the publicity 

 which Dr. Gairdner desires that they should enjoy, stating, however, 

 at once, that through the unwearied efforts of that gentleman, these 

 two plague spots, if they are not completely eradicated from the city 

 that witnesses his labours, are at least no longer injurious to its 

 inhabitants. 



One is " Binnie's Court, 285, Argyle Street," in which we are told 

 that thirty cases of fever had been visited between November, 1862, 

 and April, 1863. This, we imagine, will wear, in the eyes of our 

 readers, very much of the aspect of a chronic pestilence ! And no 

 wonder that it should exist there, for the building, or whatever it may 

 be called, " is six stories in height, including the sunk floor, and in 

 each story there are twelve apartments, principally let in single 

 rooms to the working classes." These rooms were in such an over- 

 crowded state that it was " dangerous to public health, and per- 

 manently injurious to the health and morals of the inmates." Some 

 of the single rooms used as dwelling-houses contained only 600 cubic 

 feet of space, and were occupied by four or five persons, " whilst the 

 Act requires an absolute minimum of 300 cubic feet for each person over 

 eight years of age, and 150 cubic feet for each person under that age." 



But the second case, " No. 83, Drygate Street," was still more 

 dangerous. It is known as " The Bookery," and " may be described 

 generally as an almost perfect example of a deliberate plan for bring- 

 ing together the largest number of persons in the smallest amount of 

 space." The state of things to be found here beggars all description ; 

 an apartment of 497 cubic feet contains six adult inmates, " each 

 of whom can scarcely have more than one-fourth of the minimum space 

 allowed by the Police Act." . . . and " the average size of the single 

 rooms, intended for the habitation of a whole family, is but little greater 

 VOL. II. 2 K 



