AMESBURY.

The dead porgies or menhaden fish have been a great annoyance the past year, and their removal has been quite a bill of expense, but it was done without exceeding the appropriation for the use of the Board of Health. It seems that the way to avoid such expense, year after year, is to devise some plan to prevent fishermen, far down the Merrimack, from dumping menhaden, which they do not want for bait, into the river, for the incoming tide to float up stream and deposit along our river front.

A case of glanders or farcy in a horse was reported. The animal was at once ordered to be isolated, and the cattle commissioners were notified, as required by law. The commissioners came, thoroughly examined the horse, and, becoming satisfied that it was a case of glanders, ordered the horse to be killed.

ATTLEBOROUGH.

Like many towns in the State, Attleborough was visited by that dreadful scourge, diphtheria, and, but for the prompt action of the school committee, acting in consultation with the Board of Health, the disease might easily have become epidemic. The first case reported was on October 11; from that time until the 2d of November five cases among children who attended school in the old Academy building on Sandford Street were recorded. The school was discontinued November 2, and the building was examined for a possible source of the contagion. It is not believed that the cases originated there. The building itself, situated upon a high, gravelly elevation, has been in its present location about three years; no water pipes enter it, and no sewer pipes lead from it; the cellar is large, light and dry. Two sinks connected with a cask buried in the ground are in the building, and it was suggested that these be trapped and the receptacle ventilated, although no dirty water or filth of any kind is ever poured down the sinks; and there was no more odor about them than there was the day they were put in. It is probable, as so often happens, that the cases arose from one of so mild a type that it was not recognized, and perhaps never treated by a physician. The school building was closed for two weeks, the rooms thoroughly disinfected, and the books and other articles belonging to the sick children were destroyed. This action put a stop to further spread of the disease among children attending that school, but isolated cases in various parts of the town were continually reported. These cases were carefully looked after, but in nearly every instance it was impossible to decide upon the source of the contagion; fortunately, how

ever, by isolation and disinfection they were prevented from directly producing other cases.

During the year three cases of glanders were reported. The cattle commissioners were notified, and promptly responded. The diagnosis was so evident in all the cases that the owners readily consented to the killing of the animals.

AYER.

Three cases of diphtheria originated in an adjoining town, five cases from these, two cases were of unknown origin. The cases of scarlet-fever were of unknown origin. Six cases of typhoid fever occurred in persons using well water for drinking purposes, one case where town water alone was used.

During the months of March, April and May, an epidemic of measles spread through the town. The disease was of a mild type, but two deaths being reported in nearly three hundred cases.

BLACKSTONE.

Cases of contagious diseases have been reported as follows: scarletfever, four; diphtheria, thirteen. Of the cases of diphtheria, eleven were in one house.

"The

The local board of health closes its report as follows: public mind is becoming more and more enlightened upon the subject of public and personal hygiene, and the individual has become more and more critical concerning all matters of personal and public sanitation. It will be found that, in proportion to the educational advantages a community has enjoyed, just so far there will be a public demand for a more advanced and higher standard of moral, mental and physical conditions."

BRADFORD.

Over eighty nuisances have been investigated by the Board. These have consisted of defective sink drains, overflowing, offensive cesspools, filthy privy vaults, foul-smelling pig-pens, and premises where filth and rubbish had been allowed to collect and become offensive to the neighborhood.

Thirty-eight notices have been served, and six second notices. In other instances, personal suggestions have been willingly carried out, and there were but two cases where a sheriff's notice was necessary.

There have been thirteen cases of contagious diseases, fin comparison with twenty-five cases last year and thirty-seven the 'year before, showing the great benefit derived from the introduction of pure water into our town.

BOSTON.

The deaths during the year were 10,571, an excess of 390 deaths over the number of the previous year. This increase is in part accounted for by the unusually large number of deaths from cholera infantum during the summer months, which were marked by a continued higher temperature and an excess of humidity over 1890. The advent of the epidemic of influenza in December, and its influence on other diseases, increased the number of deaths during the latter month to 1,133, as against 850 for the same month of the previous year. The death rate for the calendar year is 23.02, showing the small increase of .32 over the rate of the previous year.

The deaths

due to zymotic diseases, against which the efforts of the Board of Health are chiefly directed, show a smaller percentage of the total mortality than in any year since this Board was established, being but 15.27 of the total number of deaths.

During the year the system of house inspection, begun in a previous year, was continued, and the following is a summary of the work done in the different parts of the city:

The number of nuisances which the Board abated or caused to be abated during the year was 11,562, the character of the nuisances being mainly defective house-drains, traps and water-closets, and filthy tenements, yards and cesspools.

The number of places, yards, cellars, cesspools, water-closets, etc., disinfected during the year, was 99,090, of which the greater number were thus treated in the months of July, August, September and

October. In addition to these, 1,624 houses, including 3,399 rooms, were disinfected on account of the prevalence of infectious diseases.

One of the growing evils which this Board is called upon to combat is the practice of overcrowding which prevails in the tenement-houses in certain sections of the city. This is more common during the winter months, when a large laboring class is thrown out of employment in the country districts, and flocks to the city to live with friends, or form groups, and in small tenements live on a co-operative plan. The two principal causes of overcrowding are, first, the inclination to live in a densely inhabited neighborhood; and, second, to economize. The people who are addicted to this practice are, with soine rare exceptions, uncleanly in their habits and not accustomed to good sanitary surroundings, and evince little desire to improve them. That they are aware that they are violating some law or sanitary regulation is clearly shown by their uniform habit of concealing the truth as to the number of occupants in their habitations, and it is impossible to ascertain with any degree of accuracy the number of occupants in any given locality, except by inspection made at night. This practice rarely prevails except in the poorer neighborhoods of the North and West Ends, South Cove, and, to some extent, in South Boston. It is a matter of great difficulty to entirely control this evil, notwithstanding the Board of Health has repeatedly warned landlords, and has placed printed placards over the door of each room, giving the number of lodgers allowed.

The public baths were patronized by more people during the past bathing season than in any season since their establishment. The bathing-house at Commercial Point, Dorchester, which has hitherto been open to women exclusively, was opened to men only on four days of the week, the remaining three being reserved for women, thus affording much-needed accommodations for both sexes in that section. The following table shows the number of bathers at each of the bathing-houses during the past summer, and the number for the previous season, as reported by the various superintendents:

Men and boys,
Women and girls,

Total, both sexes,

836,086

178,702

1,014,788

There were 4,383 persons vaccinated, and certificates of vaccination were given to 2,967 children for their admission to the public schools. There was a marked increase in the number applying for vaccination during the past year, as compared with previous years.

The bodies of 472 persons dying without a physician in attendance were examined. These cases comprised principally those who

died of chronic diseases, where there was no medical care for months previous to death, and those who died suddenly from natural causes. In those cases a careful external examination was made, the symptoms learned, and a diagnosis, sufficiently accurate for all practical purposes, reached. The law requires a medical certificate of death before a permit for burial is granted, and those examinations were made to conform to the law, as well as to collect statistics for the bills of mortality.

Forty-three cases of eruptive diseases, reported as small-pox, were examined; but in no instance was small-pox found to exist. This was the first time since the year ending April 30, 1879, that there had been immunity from this disease for a period of twelve months.

The reports of 831 cases of diphtheria and 1,327 of scarlet-fever were investigated. The importance of a careful medical supervision of the public schools, in order to prevent the attendance of children ill with mild attacks of these diseases, cannot be too strongly emphasized.

A series of diagrams and charts, illustrating the prevalence of scarlet-fever and diphtheria, by months, and their relative severity in the different wards of the city, accompanies the report.

At the quarantine station 613 vessels were boarded during the year, and eleven were disinfected. The number of persons treated in the quarantine hospital was 52. During the past ten years 7,132 vessels have been boarded, 372,872 immigrants inspected, and 202 persons treated in the quarantine hospital.

From the report of the inspector at the abbattoir, it appears that 564,056 animals were slaughtered and 86 were condemned, of which number 26 were condemned on account of tuberculosis.

One hundred and one cases of actinomycosis were found among cattle during the year.

The number of cases of tuberculosis was 66, which was twenty-two hundredths of one per cent. of the whole number of cattle received. Of the cows from the eastern States, 60 were tuberculous, or 4.85 per cent.

BRIDGEWATER.

Ultimately the town will be obliged to construct a regular system of sewerage. Until we are ready for this, an odorless wagon should be obtained, and a person employed to pump out the contents of cesspools at the owner's expense, and to carry the same to the outskirts of the village, where it could be utilized as a fertilizer.

It is worth noting that not a single case of typhoid fever has occurred in families using the “ city water."

Too much care cannot be exercised in preventing the spread of