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The measures for the limitation of measles are discussed in several annual reports, and opinions
in favour of the inclusion of this disease among the "dangerous infectious diseases " within
the meaning of the Public Health Act, 1891, for the purpose of prohibition of the exposure of
infected persons in public places and the use by such persons of public vehicles are expressed
by the medical officers of health of Kensington, Fulham, Chelsea and Lambeth. The Lambeth
Vestry in March of the present year resolved to urge the London County Council to take the
necessary steps for this purpose. Both this sanitary authority and that of Chelsea are in favour of
all the provisions of sections 58 to 70 of the Public Health (London) Act being made applicable to
measles, and the Vestry of St. Giles resolved to communicate with the Local Government Board as to
the need of the compulsory notification of measles. The medical officers of health of Battersea, Poplar
(Bow) and of St. George-the-Martyr recommend that measles should be thus notified. The medical
officer of health of Holborn is of opinion that it should be made obligatory on heads of families to
notify measles. The medical officer of health of Islington urges that all school teachers should be
required to inform him of cases of -measles occurring in the families of children attending school
and which come to their knowledge, and the medical officer of health of Holborn desires that all cases
in which children are absent on account of infectious disease occurring in their families should be
brought to his knowledge. Such information as to measles was obtained in numerous cases by the
medical officer of health of the Strand, and in a small number of cases by the medical officer of health
of Holborn. A circular letter was addressed to all school teachers by the medical officer of health of
St. Giles, asking for this information, and the medical officer of health of Chelsea addressed a circular
letter to school teachers recommending that during the progress of an epidemic children with nasal
or faucial catarrh should be excluded from school. The medical officer of health of Hackney prepared
a memorandum for distribution upon the measures which might be taken for the prevention of measles.
A copy of this memorandum is sent to the parent of every child whose illness is notified by a school
teacher. The Hackney Vestry have offered to disinfect infected articles and rooms, and the Holborn
District Board disinfected the rooms occupied by persons whose illness was brought to the knowledge
of the medical officer of health of the district by the death returns or by school teachers.
Scarlet Fever.
The cases of scarlet fever notified in the Administrative County of London during 1899
numbered 18,224, compared with 16,920 in 1898. The number of deaths registered from this
cause in 1899 was 398, compared with 581 in 1898.

The death rate in each year since 1858 in relation to the mean death rate of the period
1859-99 is shown in diagram VI., and the monthly case-rate and case-mortality in each of the
years 1891-99 will be seen by reference to Diagram XVIII. (page 50).
It will be seen from the following table that in the period 1889-98 the London scarlet fever
death rate was lower than that of any of the undermentioned towns except Leeds, Bristol,
Nottingham and Hull, and in 1899 was lower than that of any except Manchester, Birmingham,
Bristol and West Ham.

The following table shows that the London scarlet fever death rate was lower than that of
any of the undermentioned foreign towns except Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Vienna and Rome
in the period 1889-98, and in 1899 was lower than that of any except Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam
and Rome.
* The Infectious Diseases (Notification) Act came into force in 1889.
1 Bee footnote (1), page 3. 2 See footnote (2) page 3,