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VII
There was 110 particular school that might be singled
out, although in several instances we had the familiar history
of a child being ill with slight sore throat while attending
school, and a few weeks later a number of cases of diphtheria
from the same department.
As in previous years, I have not considered the question
of bacterial virulence or non-virulence, but have always considered
a throat containing the specific bacillus of diphtheria as
being capable of spreading the disease, and that children should
not be allowed to return to school until the bacteriological
examination is negative. That this is the right course from
the public health point of view I am convinced, until we know
the nature of the other factor, whatever it may be, whether
association of other organisms, &c., which will at one time
render the bacillus able to manifest its evil power and give
rise to an attack of diphtheria.
The mortality works out at about 11.7 per cent, of
notifications, a rate lower than any year since this calculation
has been made.

The prevalence of enteric fever was but little altered
from 1901.
During the year considerable attention has been paid to
the possibility of the contagion of enteric fever being conveyed
by means of shellfish, especially those that are eaten in the
raw state, such as oysters. There were four instances in this
Borough where the disease was possibly contracted from this
cause ; two of these had been on a visit to Southend, another
ate them in Brixton, while a fourth stated that he had
eaten winkles at Southend some four weeks before the