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38
2.—Non-Notifiable Diseases.
Chickenpox.
524 cases of chickenpox were notified voluntarily.
Diarrhœa.
There has been a marked decrease in the number of corrected
deaths registered from diarrhoea—91, as compared with yearly
averages of 191.6, 219.4, 208.6, 140.2 and 178.2 during the five
quinquennia 1891-1895, 1896-1900, 1901-1905, 1906-1910 and 19111915,
respectively. Of the 91 deaths registered during 1917, 71,
i.e., 78.02 per cent., occurred amongst children under 5 years of age
56, i.e., 61.5, amongst infants under 1 year of age.
The 4 ft. earth thermometer first registered 56° F. on June 12th,
rising to a maximum of 61.8° F. on August 8th, on one occasion
only, and remaining at such maximum, and sinking to 56° F. again
on October 12th. The readings of the 4 ft. earth thermometer
were taken in Regent's Park, and the information was obtained
through the courtesy of the Secretary ol the Royal Botanical
Society.
23 corrected deaths (6 infants under 1 year of age) were registered
from enteritis.
Practical measures were again taken to prevent epidemic
diarrhoea (and other diseases) in infants and to promote hygienic
conditions in their feeding and environment, as follows:—
(a) Visiting of houses wherein births were notified under the
Notification of Births Act, 1907, or wherein deaths were
registered as having occurred from epidemic diarrhœa;
(b) Teaching of proper feeding and care and management of
infants at the Infants Consultations Centre held at
66, York Road, and at the various other Welfare Centres,
which comprise the Lambeth Maternity and Child Welfare
Scheme;
(c) Issuing of special leaflets or posters during the summer,
dealing with (1) precautions to be taken against summer
diarrhœa, (2) the danger of the areas of infection and the
contamination of food by flies, (3) the importance of
removing at once all accumulations of refuse and other
offensive matters from the neighbourhood of dwellings,
(4) the value of cleanliness generally, &c.
(d) Feeding of Infants and young children at the Municipal
Milk Depot, 66, York Road.
3.—" Contacts " or " Suspects " and " Convalescents "
(Military).
Many " contacts " or " suspects " and " convalescents "
(military) were watched in connection with different diseases as
follows:—
(a) Cerebro-spinal or " Spotted" Fever (Epidemic Cerebro-spinal
Meningitis), 5.
(b) Enteric or Typhoid Fever, 22.
(c) Plague, 3.
(d) Dysentery, 26.