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notified and, of these, 90 were removed to Hospital. 47
of the total 1,428 cases notified died (i.e., 3.3 per cent.).
Whooping cough is a serious disease, especially to young
children. Of the 47 deaths registered in the Borough during
1913 from this disease, 45 (i.e., 95.7 per cent.) occurred in
children under 5 years of age, and 21 of the deaths (i.e.,
44.7 per cent.) occurred amongst infants under 1 year of
age. It is, therefore, a disease of childhood, and its prevention
is being systematically attempted, chiefly in the way
of compulsory notification of the cases, disinfection of
whooping cough-infected houses, exclusion from school of
children (both infected and from infected houses), and the
educating of parents up to the dangerous nature of the
disease and the importance of careful nursing of the patients
when suffering from this complaint. Unfortunately, whooping
cough, like measles, is, at present, regarded as a
harmless complaint of childhood, and the ignorance displayed
and the apathy shown, is well known to all who visit
amongst the poorer classes. It is hoped that, by making the
disease compulsorily notifiable, attention will be drawn to
its serious nature, and the need that exists for taking precautionary
measures in regard thereto.
Of the 1,428 cases of whooping cough notified during
1913, 90 (i.e., 6.3 per cent.) were removed to hospital,
non-pauper as well as pauper cases being received for
treatment and isolation in hospital, under the new Metropolitan
Asylums (Whooping Cough) Order, 1912 (August
9th*). 612 cases of the disease, in addition, were voluntarily
notified through schools.
Leaflets (dealing with the dangers and treatment ot the
disease) were left at all notified whooping cough-infected
houses.
During 1913, 7 schools (15 class-rooms) were dealt with
on account of outbreaks of whooping cough—a total of 33
cases with 436 exclusions of "unprotected" scholars (i.e.,
*Of the 90 eases of Whooping Cough removed to hospital, 4 proved
at hospital not to be suffering from that disease.