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81
[1911
SMALL POX.
There was no death from small pox registered during the year.
MEASLES.
This disease,, which was more or less prevalent in 1909 and 1910, still
remained a source of anxiety, for no less than 124 deaths were registered from
it, as contrasted with 166 in 1910, and 197 in 1909, and 78 in 1908. The return
is, however, 52 below the corrected average of 126 in the preceding 26 years.
Measles is usually very fatal to child life, and last year out of 124 deaths
122 were under five years of age.
The deaths were mainly confined to the first and second quarters of the
year, and were in fact a continuation of the epidemic which prevailed during
the two preceding years. This is well seen in Table LIII., which gives the
deaths from measles during each week in 1911 ; and shows that 83 deaths
occurred in the first quarter, 33 in the second, and only 5 and 3 in the third
and fourth quarters respectively. Thus towards the end of the year the disease
was practically non-existent.
Its heaviest incidence fell on Barnsbury, where 15 deaths were
registered, producing a death-rate of 0-70 per 1,000 of the population, following
which came St Peter's with 18 deaths, and a death-rate of 0'60; Upper
Holloway with 18 deaths, and a death-rate of 0-48; and Lower Holloway with
17 deaths, and a death-rate of 0-43. In the other wards the incidence was not
nearly so heavy.
Owing to the prevalence of the disease among scholars, class rooms were
closed and disinfected in several of the schools, a list of which is to be found
in that part of the report dealing with disinfection. In addition to this
procedure 980 scholars were excluded from the various schools on the
appearance of the disease in them. These exclusions included 812 infants, 48
boys, 106 girls, as well as 14 children from mixed classrooms. Full particulars
are given in that part of the report which deals with disease among children
attending the public elementary schools.
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