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159
\as described by Hal l as a "very ab le and pains -taking meteo::
_
ologist" ,
\as in charge of a valuab le set of ins truments belonging to the Royal
,_ society to which body he furnished returns . The alliance , too , between
H all and Miller was confirmed and strengthened during the bitter times
I
f 18 55; neither man failed in his support of the other and both
rejoiced at the outcome of their mutu al effort . Now, at the beginning
of 1856,
confident in their knowldge of what was being done in England
and Europe, and acutely aware of the deficiencies of Hobart Town in
matters of Pub lic Health and Sanitation, they looked forward to a year
of purposeful effort in health and social reform .
Actua lly, the health situation was just as fraught with danger
as it ever was, perhaps
ẹven more so .
In· spi tc:> of the efforts of the
muni cipal authorities to improve the sanitary condition of the city,
there were still local wants and defects in the water supp ly, whi lst bad
drainage, nuisances , cesspools , overcrowding , lack of ventilation abounded
everywhere.
Far more serious and frightening was the possibility in
Apri l of an epidemic of smallpox bro .
ught by the many ships arriving from
Mauritius where the disease had broken out with dire results in the ear ly
part of 1856 .
Although the Government Health Officer in Launceston
insisted that he make a medical inspection of all vessels arriving there
from the infected country, no such precautions were taken in Hobart Town
where there was comp lete apathy to the situation; indeed , it was not
certain who the Government Health Offi cer was, so negligent was he in his
1
r
duties .
Although the Legislative Counci l in 1853 passed the Vaccination
Act which made vaccination compulsory for all chi ldren up
the age of
fourteen years , it was , nonetheless, inoperative, not a single conviction
under the act having taken place in the island;
consequently , the
younger memb ers of the Public were completely unprepared for an epidemi c.
In its first long editorial on "Public Health" on April 30 (written by
Hall) , the Daily News criticised the exi sting act and suggested that
public-paid vaccinators be appointed to every distri ct , with the right
to make house to house visitations and issue certifi cates of vaccination. 1
Fortunate ly, after further comp laints at the lack of quarantine
precautions , the Government appointed a new Health Officer for the port
of Hobart Town, W. Benson, to succeed the former officer, E.S.P. Bedford .2
1
2
Tasmanian Daily News , Apri l 30, 1856.
Gazette, May 13, 1856 .