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161 [1910
"I imagine that the present epidemic has now reached its turning point,
for an examination of the mortality returns show a fall, which, if not quite
steady, have a downward tendency.
"Let us follow the course of the epidemic week by week as shown by the
deaths, beginning with the sixth week of the second quarter:—They were
respectively—1, 1, 1, 2, 0, 1, 0, 2, 1, 5, 1, 1, 0, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 1, 3, 1, 2,
6, 7, 6, 10, 12, 22, 15, 12, 16, 18, 9, 8, 11 and last week 8. Now,
the fatality from Measles is uncertain, because of the impossibility of obtaining
accurate information as to the number of cases. It has, however, been
shown by Dr. Theodore Thomson of the Local Government Board that the
fatality rate among children under 5 years of 85 per 1,000 of the attacked, and
between 5 and 10 years 11 per 1,000 of the attacked. A calculation based
on these figures makes it probable that there have bepn 1,776 children
under 5 years attacked in the present epidemic, and 1,272 between 5 and 10
years, or a total of 3,048 cases.
"During this period there have been 2,400 cases notified by the London
County Council School Teachers, so that there is a difference of 648 between
the calculated number of cases, and those known among children attending
schools.
"Since the schools were opened after the Christmas holidays, I have to
report that scholars have been excluded from 11 schools and from 18 classrooms
for measles. This was due to the fact that 21 infants, 5 girls, and 1
boy who were attacked with measles are found to have been in attendance since
vacation.
"I may say that never before has such attention been given to measles in
Islington as there has been during the present epidemic, and it would be
unfair for me not to give much credit of this to the painstaking manner in
which Mr. Wheble, the Clerk who keeps the records of this disease, has analysed
the cases as they were notified."
Chicken Pox.—985 cases of Chicken Pox were notified, as contrasted
with an average of 491 in the ten years 1900-1909. The largest number of
cases came from Blundell Street Schools, where there were 66, from Canonbury
Road 92, Ecclesbourne Road 82, Pooles Park 70, and from Upper Hornsey
Road 60. A full statement of the several schools attacked is given in
Table XCVIII.
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