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16
Scarlet Fever.
Scarlet fever, I regret, has been more prevalent
during 1909 than in the previous year, 283
cases being notified as against 202 in 1908, in
spite of the removal of the majority of the
patients to the Isolation Hospital, and strict
quarantine for a sufficient time on their return.
Fortunately, however, the disease has been generally
of a mild type, as the number of deaths—
only six—shows.
DIPHTHERIA.
The number of cases of this disease notified
during the year was unfortunately large, but
when it is explained that during the first quarter
when infection would doubtless be remaining from
the outbreak of the previous year, the larger proportion,
viz., 115, were reported, and that this
number exceeds the three other quarters together,
which were respectively 40, 34 and 33, making a
total for these three quarters of 107, or for the
year 222, it will be seen that there was a very
great improvement during the latter part of the
year, as a glance at the accompanying chart will
show.
It may be of interest to mention that Enfield
was not the only district in the county suffering
from this disease, for it seems to have been generally
prevalent in several other districts lying to
the North of London.
There can be little doubt that the metereological
conditions obtaining during the greater
part of last year, viz., a very large number of
rainy days causing continual dampness with a
corresponding want of sunshine were extremely