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impossible to say. but the fact is worth noting. In whatever manner the infection
may have been introduced in the first place, there appears to be very little reason to
doubt that the prevalence of the throat illness amongst Messrs. X's employes was
due to the infection being conveyed from person to person either directly or through
the medium of fomites such as forks, spoons, cups, and other articles used in common.
Notwithstanding the instructions which had been given, some of the employes did
not report themselves until they had "sore throats" for three or four days, and there
is reason to believe in tome cases the patients did not report themselves at all, but
continued at their work. It is probable that the cessation of the epidemic in
November was to a very large extent due to the more stringent precautions as to
disinfection which were adopted in October with respect to articles used in common to
which reference has already been made.
ENTERIC OR TYPHOID FEVER.
The cases certified numbered 171*, being 52 above the average of the 10 years 1890-99
inclusive. The attacks, which were not specially incident in any particular portion of
the parish, were at the rate of 1.4 per thousand inhabitants, as compared with 0.74
last year. Of the persons attacked, 160 were persons aged five years and upwards.
The deaths numbered 25, of which 12 occurred in hospitals without the parish. The
death-rate from this disease was 0'20 per 1,000, as compared with 0.14 in 1898, 0 15
in 1897, 0.14 in 1896, and 047 in 1895. Of the attacks, 14.6 per cent.† terminated
fatally, as compared with 18.6 in 1898, 17.7 in 1897, 15.7 in 1896, 21.2 in 1895, 14.1
in 1894, and 15.8 in 1893.
The distribution of the cases and the deaths amongst males and females in the
four registration districts are shewn in the subjoined table:—

*Sixteen of the cases certified were not regarded by the medical officers of the Metropolitan
Asylums Board, under whose treatment they came, as suffering from enteric fever.
†Deducting the 16 cases not regarded by the Board's medical officers as enteric fever, the
case mortality was 16.1 per cent. of the attacks.