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11
A.—NOTIFIABLE DISEASES.
Small Pox.—No case of this disease was notified in Hackney
during the year.
Scarlatina.—This disease was less prevalent during 1898 than
the year before, the number notified being 1,002, which shows a
decrease of 384 on the year 1897. The attack-rate for the year is,
therefore, 4.5 per 1,000 living. The deaths numbered 49, giving a
death-rate of 22 per 1,000 living.
The accompanying chart represents the course of the disease
week by week during the year. It will be seen from this that the
highest point was reached during the month of October, and the
lowest in the month of August.
Scarlatina was less prevalent during 1898 than many years
previously. The cause of this, it is difficult to say ; but I think it
may justly be assumed that the greater facilities now available for
the removal of patients from their homes, with more prompt and
thorough application of the means of isolation and disinfection, may
have something to do with the decrease. In the following table,
the number of cases of scarlatina, diphtheria and enteric fever
notified during the years 1893 to 1898 inclusive are shown, with the
number and percentage removed to hospital, and the attack-rate
per 1,000 living inhabitants of Hackney. It will be seen from this
that the attack-rate for scarlatina has declined from 10.2 per 1,000
n 1893 to 4-5 in the year 1898.
The disease did not appear in 1898 to be associated in a
marked degree with any special agency such as milk ; neither has
any particular board school appeared to be active in spreading the
disease; but there was one parochial school, St. James', where
the disease lingered amongst the scholars for some weeks, until
closing the school stopped its spread.
The outbreak began in the second week of May by the notification
of two cases in the boys' school. Subsequent cases were
notified during the following eight weeks, varying from one to four