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35
1930
Scarlet Fever.
279 cases of Scarlet Fever were admitted, and there were
4 deaths from the disease. The high mortality was due to cases
of mixed infection which were admitted early in the year. In the
early part of the year there were epidmics of Measles and Whooping
Cough, and several cases of Scarlet Fever were admitted
incubating either Measles or Whooping Cough.
Diphtheria.
177 cases of Diphtheria were admitted with 11 deaths.
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS.
(a) For Diphtheria Positive. Negative.
Total Examinations— 1551 193 1358
Sent by Medical Practitioners 57 409
do. (re-examinations) 6 48
Sent from Isolation Hospital 116 583
do. (re-examinations) 1 3
Convalescents (1st Swabs) — 31
Contacts 4 156
do. (2nd examinations) 4 58
do. (3rd examinations) — 2
Precautionary Swabs — 12
School Sore Throats 4 50
do. (2nd Swab) 1 3
do. (3rd Swab) — 2
do. (4th Swab) — 1
(b) For Ringworm. Positive. Negative.
Total Exmainations— 5 4 1
(c) For Tubercle. Positive. Negative.
Total Examinations— 154 31 123
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
Infantile Mortality.
56 deaths occurred in children under one year of age. This
number corresponds to an infantile mortality of 50 per 1,000 births.
The infantile mortality is lower than that of England and
Wales and that of the 107 great towns and of London.
It is also the lowest infantile mortality for the district, the
next lowest being that of 1926 when it was 55 per 1,000 and 1928
when it was also 55 per 1,000 births.
It is natural to review the results of any activities when anyparticular
stage is reached, though the division may be quite
artificial and arbitary. It is not so very long ago when public
health authorities looked upon an infantile mortality of 100 per
1,000 births as a goal which might ultimately be reached.
Although that figure now appears absurdly high, it must be
remembered that in the early years of this century, the infantile