1009

to the notice of the police authorities, arising from the useby bakers and confectioners, for the purpose of heatingtheir ovens, of old beams, &c., procured from the de-molition of houses. This timber is generally paintedover with preparations of lead, copper, and arsenic, and ithas been found that the ashes left after combustion containmore or less of these poisonous substances, which adhere tothe sides of the ovens and to the bread and confectioneryduring and after baking. The timber employed for telegraphposts, railway sleepers, &c., present the same dangers, as itis generally painted over, or impregnated, with differentsorts of mineral solutions, such as the sulphate of copper,corrosive sublimate, &c., for the purpose of preserving thewood. The Prefect of Police has, therefore, forbidden theuse of the timber obtained from the above sources by bakersand confectioners.Those coming over to the continent will be repaid by a

visit to the aquarium at Havre, which has just been en-riched by an interesting fish rarely met with in these lati-tudes. This fish, which was caught by the crew of a pilotboat, is known under the name of moon-fish, from its re-semblance to the earth’s satellite, and belongs to the familyof the "gymnodontes." The body of the fish is raised androunded, the skin shines like highly-polished silver, and itis said that when the fish floats on the surface of the waterits body is quite phosphorescent. It measures one metrein length by one metre forty centimetres from the superiorextremity of the dorsal fins to those of the anal extremity.

[In my last communication, on M. Gambetta’s wound,page 954, for "Ville d’Arzay," read Ville d’Avray.]

Paris, December 5th, 1882.

THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL BOARD OFHEALTH AND VACCINATION OF

IMMIGRANTS.(From a Correspondent.)

ONE of the most useful branches of service of the NationalBoard of Health (United States) is a system of inspectionand vaccination of immigrants. Four years ago there wasnot a death by small-pox reported in the United States.Then began a remarkable increase of immigration from thecontinent of Europe, and especially of Polish and RussianJews, who are generally unvaccinated. As they generallyremained in the foreign seaport towns several days beforeembarking, and usually occupied low lodging-houses wherecontagious diseaseswere prevalent, small-pox began to appearamong them. As ocean transit now occupies but ten days,the infected emigrant could reach our ports in apparenthealth, and pass quarantine unsuspected. More than that,he can take cars on arrival, and reach a distant westernsettlement within the period of incubation. It very naturallyhappened that with this rising tide of immigration small-pox outbreaks began to be more and more frequent in theWestern States, until at length the pestilence was regardedas epidemic. To meet the emergency the National Board ofHealth organised a system of inspection and vaccination ofimmigrants, which has now been in operation about fivemonths, and has given the most satisfactory results. Thework begins with the embarkation of the emigrant in theforeign port, and he is followed to his destination in hiswestern home. The ship surgeon is required to examine everyemigrant with reference to the evidences of protection byvaccination. If they are not present, or are unsatisfactory,the surgeon proceeds to vaccinate. To all protected personshe issues a card bearing the following information, as anexample, printed upon it :-

CUNARD LINE.

VACCINATED. ’

S. S. SCYTHIA.

(Signed)W. J. KING, Surgeon.

On the obverse is the following, printed in English andfour other languages :-" Keep this card to avoid detention,at quamntme and on railroads in the United States."The immigrant is required to keep this card, and show it

when required. It is first presented to the port physician,and then to the sanitary inspectors on the railroads, at thevarious inspection stations. The railroad inspections arecomparatively easy, for the immigrant trains are made uplike freight trains, and run at regular intervals, conveyingonly immigrants. Usually the inspectors board the train atsome convenient station, and carry on the inspection andvaccination while the trains are moving, thus causing nodelay. I have before me the monthly statement of theSupervising Inspector of one district-viz., the Westerndistrict. It shows a total of 14,924 inspections, and 2918vaccinations; 234 had never been vaccinated. During thefour months ending September 30th the total number ofinspections in that district was 78,366, and of vaccinations13,842. The result of this service, the first of the kind everestablished, I believe, has been most useful. Not only havesmall-pox outbreaks ceased, but the inspectors have inter-cepted other contagious diseases, as scarlet fever, measles,and diphtheria. They have also greatly improved the sani-tary condition of the immigrant trains. Inspector Ranchremarks z" Evidence of the growing interest in this protec-tive measure is found in the increasing numbers of immi-grants vaccinated or revaccinated just before sailing. Thisis especially true of the English and Scotch, and in a greatmeasure offsets the occasional opposition to the inspection metwith from individuals of the same nationalities, and whichseems to be due to the anti-vaccinationists of Great Britain."

1B’ew York, October 15th, 1882.

TENEMENT HOUSES IN AMERICA.

(From a Roving Correspondent.)

IT is popularly supposed that in the large towns ofAmerica there are no poor, in the English meaning of thatterm. This is, however, a great mistake, and as a matter offact some American cities contain as degraded specimens of

1 the class of people to be found in tenement houses in Great1 Britain as will be met with anywhere in the world. It may, be interesting to inquire how it is that in the New World,,

where labour is at a premium, and where there is more

; work to be done than hands to do it, no improvement hasl taken place in that class of persons who inhabit tenementr houses. In a town like Chicago, which has been nearly. rebuilt during the last ten years, the cause of the existence: of the worst class of tenement house is due to the fact that, the enormous number of emigrants who annually enter the

capital of the West far exceeds the capacity of builders and; capitalists. Hundreds of new houses are erected annually,but an influx of 60,000 or 80,000 emigrants renders it impos-

sible to provide suitable house-room for all. In spite of: many difficulties, however, it must be confessed that the,

health authorities, under the energetic superintendence of, Dr. De Woolf, the able Commissioner of Health, have done

great public service. Mainly at their instigation, and inspite of considerable opposition from various quarters,powers have been conferred upon the health authoritieswhich, as they are vigorously exercised, have proved thegreatest boon to the inhabitants of Chicago. The followingare the chief sections of an Act for the regulation andinspection of tenements and lodging-houses and other placesof habitation, which was approved and put in force on andfrom May 30th, 1881. The Act applies to all incorporatedcities of 50,000 inhabitants within the State of Illinois.

1. Architects, builders, or other persons interested in anyprojected tenement, lodging-house, or other place of habita-tion, must submit plans and specifications of any such

building to the Health Commissioners, to enable them toexamine, approve, or reject the same unless or until adequateprovision is made for the ventilation of rooms, light, andair-shafts, windows, ventilation of waterclosets, drainage,and plumbing.

2. Every plumber interested in the plumbing work ofsuch buildings must receive from, and proceed according tothe specifications and written instructions of, the HealthCommissioners before commencing work.

3. The plumber is compelled, after the completion of hiswork, and before any portion of it is covered up, to notifythe Commissioners in writing that the buildings are readyfor inspection, and it is unlawful for any person interestedto cover up or in any way conceal such plumbing work in or