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39
Parish of Clapham.
and so would lose a medal. It was not possible, however,
to get satisfactory evidence to prove the parents knowledge
of the presence of Scarlet Fever, without which it would
be impossible to take proceedings for wilful exposure. The
difficulty here is an illustration of what so frequently
occurs and so often prevents anything being done to prevent
or punish the most reckless exposure.
Diphtheria.
There were 68 cases notified, compared with
126 and 112 in the two preceding years, a
very distinct fall therefore. There were 12 deaths,
3 at the hospitals and 9 at their homes. A glance
at Table 1V. shows the progressive fall in the
number of deaths from this cause since 1894, when there
were 39 deaths. The percentage of deaths to cases was
17.6, almost exactly the same as in 1895, and materially
lower than in 1894.
There were removed to hospital 34, or 50 per cent,
of the total number, about the same proportion as last
year.

The maximum is reached in October as in the case
of Scarlet Fever.
Careful inspection of the houses where these cases
occurred and testing the drains revealed serious defects in
only 15 instances. Presumably therefore, a considerable
majority of them originated from direct infection from