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of 1.66 per thousand population, as compared with a figure of 1-89
for the country as a whole.
The distribution of cases throughout the year was most uneven.
The 90 cases occurring in the first quarter were evenly distributed,
as were also the 142 cases of the second quarter, most weeks in
this period having some 10 to 15 cases. The third quarter started
with a rather lighter incidence for the first five weeks, but during
the remaining eight weeks in no instances were more than 4 cases
notified, the total number of notifications for the quarter being 56.
Contrary to expectations, instead of a rise in the last quarter there
was a further lightening of incidence, only 29 cases being notified
in the whole quarter.
Place of Treatment.
Of 319 patients notified, including those in whom the notification
was later withdrawn, 68 were treated at home at the election
of the parents, 248 were admitted to the local isolation hospital
and 4 to the isolation hospitals of other local authorities. Of those
admitted to the local hospitals in 35 per cent, of cases there appeared
to be no real reason that the child should not have been treated at
home. In 17 per cent, of the cases the reason for admission was
the fact that there were in the house other children of tender years ;
in 15 per cent, of cases the patient could not have been isolated in
a room to himself, while in 10 per cent, of cases the patient was an
adult, and in a similar number of cases there was crowding in the
home.
Secondary Infections.
Secondary infections occurred in 19 households, in 17 of which
there was onlv one secondary case and in two households two cases
each.
Return Cases.
Return cases occurred in 19 households, in most only the one
patient being infected, but in three homes two patients each. In
one of the latter instances the presumably infecting case was treated
in the hospital of another authority. In nearly one-half of the
cases the discharged patient appeared perfectly well at the time
of the onset of the illness of the other member of the family. In
two of the other instances the child developed a tonsillitis some
time after his return home, while in the other instances the patient
had developed a nasal discharge.
Schools and Scarlet Fever.
On two occasions only was there any suggested grouping of
cases of scarlet fever in the school, both occurring in the summer
term. At Priestmead School over three weeks there were
five cases, four of them in the same class. At Stanburn School
over a period of 8 weeks there were 18 cases distributed altogether
amongst 8 classes.