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Plumstead—The medical officer of health compares the incidence of scarlet fever on the
scholars of several schools, and says that those attending the Ancona-road school were most
affected, and after it these attending Purrett-road, Burrage-grove, Earl-street, and the Slade.
"It is noteworthy that of the three neighbouring schools, Ancona-road, Plumstead-road and
High-street, whereas in the first one child was affected out of every 12, at the other two,
only one child out of 50, and one out of 60, respectively, were affected."
As in previous reports, I have shown in diagram VIII. the number of cases of scarlet fever
appearing in each weekly notification list, in relation to the mean of the year, in three age groups,
0—3, 3—13, 13 years and upwards, these age groups representing generally the pre-school age, school
age and post school age. The summer holiday of the London School Board schools began in 1899,
on Thursday, the 27th July, i.e., the latter part of the 30th week, and the schools re-opened on
Monday, the 28th August, i.e., at the beginning of the 35th week. If the number of cases notified in
the four weeks, which would be most subject to holiday influence, be compared with the number of
cases notified in the four preceding and four subsequent weeks, the results shown in the following
table are obtained. It will be seen that the decrease during the period of holiday influence is most
marked at the school age—

Scarlet fever, 1899—Proportion of cases and deaths in hospitals.
It will be seen by reference to diagram VII. that there was in 1899 slight increase in the
proportion of the cases admitted into and deaths occurring in the hospitals of the Metropolitan
Asylums Board upon the proportion in the preceding year.
Scarlet fever, 1899—Age and sex distribution.
The following table shows the case rates, death rates and fatality of scarlet fever during the
year 1899. The case rate was practically the same among males at all ages as that among females, but
the death rate and the fatality were higher among males than among females. In the age-groups
adopted for the purposes of the table, the greatest incidence of attack was upon both males and females
of four years of age. The greatest incidence of death was upon males of three years of age and upon
females of two, three and four years of age. The fatality was greatest among males under one year,
and among females of one year of age.

In this table 0 indicates that the deaths were too few to give a rate of 0.5; where — is inserted no deaths occurred.
* See footnote (*), page 34.