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and the report dealing with the matter, which was furnished at
the request of the Local Government Board to whom the question
was referred, will be found in the appendix to this report. The
Local Government Board subsequently informed the Education
Department that, in their opinion, the action of the Vestry was
not unreasonable.
Mortality.—The disease was the cause of 65 deaths, giving a
case mortality of 10.2 per cent, being the lowest yet recorded.
The decline in the fatality of the disease, which is mainly due to
the use of anti-toxic serum, will be seen from the following
table: —

Of the cases removed to hospital, 48, or 8.6 per cent., and of
those kept at home, 17, or 20.3 per cent., died.
The difference in the fatality of hospital and home cases is
especially marked in young children, as will be seen from the
subjoined table ; the fatality among children under 5 removed to
hospital being 11.4 per cent., and among those of the same age
kept at home, 48'.0 per cent.
There is no doubt that if the nature of the disease were more
promptly recognised, and cases treated in the earliest stages with
anti-toxic serum, the fatality of diphtheria would be still further
reduced.