I am, however, not aware that any public mortuary even of this size has yet been actually carried out in this country, greatly as they are needed. With reference to the question of disinfection, which as I stated can be conveniently taken in connection with that of mortuaries, the following is the clause of the Public Health Act 1875 which deals with it: “Any local authority may provide a proper place, with all necessary apparatus and attendance, for the disinfection of bedding, clothing or other articles which have become infected, and may cause any articles brought for disinfection to be disinfected free of charge (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 122). See also 38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, ss. 120 and 121.” The first duty here involved is to provide a proper place for this purpose, and this place cannot be better than that of the mortuary, so as to centralize as much as possible the spots to which infection has to be carried, and the necessary attendant can also here be found, as well as convenient places to put the hand carts, &c., presently described. The next duty is to provide the necessary apparatus, which is now done almost exclusively by the action of heat. This is sometimes effected by building brick-work chambers which can be heated up to about 350° Fahr. after the doors are closed, by means of coal or coke furnaces. Within these chambers are moveable horses on which are placed the articles to be disinfected: these are exposed to the necessary heat for varying times according to the nature of the articles, the horse is then drawn out, when the articles should be thoroughly washed with a disinfecting soap and returned to their owners. Great care is necessary in this operation to ensure evenness of heat, as otherwise the clothes, bedding, &c., may be scorched and injured, and the local authority will then have to make compensation. A more convenient form of disinfecting machine, and one that is less costly to work and more even in its temperature, is one that can be heated by gas, this is sometimes effected by the use of an iron box with counter-balanced lid into which the articles are put, heat being applied by means of gas jets burning underneath. A more elaborate and effective method has however been patented, and is now manufactured by Messrs. Goddard and Massey of Nottingham, which is known as Dr. Ranson’s system. The following drawing shows the arrangement of this machine, and some of the advantages claimed for it are as follows: Its heat is maintained automatically within certain limits in all parts of the chamber, and has great drying power, which is important, as securing from the long period of time at which this steady heat can be maintained, that penetration into bedding and other bad conductors which is so desirable to secure the necessary destruction of all disease germs or chances of after inoculation: [Illustration]