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Section II.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
Small-pox. — There were no cases of this disease in Chelsea in 1897.
In 1896, there were no cases; in 1895, there were 4 cases; in 1894,
12 cases; in 1893, 29 cases; and in 1892, 4 cases. In London,
during 1897, 105 cases of small-pox were notified, as against 260 cases
in 1896, 1,076 cases in 1895, 1,391 cases in 1894, 2,933 cases in 1893,
and 436 cases in 1892. In the 8 parishes forming the western district
of London (population 773,760) only 5 cases of small-pox were notified
in 1897, as against 35 in 1896.
Scarlet Fever. —This disease was less prevalent in 1897 than in
1896, the case-rate per 10,000 of population being 50.4 in 1897, as
against 58.6 in 1896. The case-rate for all London was 51.3 per 10,000.
The disease was somewhat more prevalent in Kensal Town than in the
home district, 176 out of the total of 488 eases belonging to Kensal
Town, whereas Kensal Town's share of the cases in proportion to its
population would have been only 108 cases. In 1897, the incidence
rate of scarlet fever in Chelsea was exceeded only by that of Fulham,
but the home district rate (41.4 per 10,000) was exceeded by both
Kensington and Fulham. As usual the prevalence of the disease was
greatest in November (46 cases), and declined very greatly in December
(23 cases) ; otherwise the course of the disease was somewhat erratic,
there being fewer cases in October than in either of the three preceeding
months. The percentage of cases of school age (3 to 13 years) was
72.1 per cent, in Chelsea, 67.9 per cent, in the home district, and
79.5 per cent, in Kensal Town. The fall in notified cases following
the closure of the schools (Board Schools on the 22nd July) was very
small in the past year. In Kensal Town, where scarlet fever was most
prevalent at this time, the number of notified cases in the 4 weeks
succeeding the closure of the schools was 22, all but 2 being of school
age, as against 17 cases (all but 1 of school age) in the preceeding
4 weeks. In the 4 weeks following the re-opening of the schools only
9 cases were notified in Kensal Town.
Diphtheria. —There was a great diminution in the prevalence of
this disease in 1897, as compared with 1896, the case-rate per 10,000
of the population in Chelsea being only 32.4, as against 48.3 in 1896.
It will be remembered that it was the home district which has specially
suffered from diphtheria of recent years, so that the decline in the
diphtheria case-rate in the home district from 57.1 per 10,000 in 1896,
to 32.1 in 1897, is especially satisfactory. The prevalence of diphtheria
in the home district of Chelsea during the yast 8 years averages higher
than that of any other of the parishes constituting Western London,
as will be seen by referring to the table on page 13. The London