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is a matter for regret, as of all the diseases which are wrongly
described as preventible puerperal fever most nearly deserves
this adjective. Anyone can see this for himself by the records of
the General Lying-in Hospital, where the death-rate from this
disease has so markedly declined since the introduction of
aseptic midwifery, yet this is a hospital where difficult cases
are especially sent, and where operation, with its increased
chances of septic infection, is so much more frequently needed.
Among the "zymotic" diseases hooping cough caused
76 deaths, and measles 127 deaths, compared with 121 and 113
that were respectively ascribed to these two diseases in the
previous year. The re-distributed figures considered in respect
of these two diseases, as to the registration district in which
they occurred, were as follows: — Camberwell, 22 and 34 ;
Peckham, 28 and 43 ; and St. George's, 26 and 50.
The deaths from influenza amounted in all to 97, as
compared with 86 in 1898, and 31 in 1897. The disease was
fairly equally prevalent in all the quarters except the summer
when there was a marked diminution.
There were in all 371 deaths due to diarrhœa and other
inflammatory affections of the intestines, compared with 358 that
occurred in 1898. Of these 18 occurred in the first quarter,
14 in the second, 322 in the third, and 17 in the fourth.
In coming now to the age incidence of this disease, it
will be seen that out of a total of 371 deaths, 339 occurred in
children under the age of five years, and also that of the total
number of the fatal cases 302 took place in the summer quarter.
It is thus evident that many of these deaths were dependent on
climatic conditions which prevailed during the summer months.
Nineteen deaths occurred from scarlet fever, compared
with 18 in 1898, and 32 in 1897. Three of these were of
persons who had remained at home, while the remainder were
of those who had been removed to hospital. The total number
of notifications for this disease amounted to 1,175, including
two that occurred in St. Saviour's Infirmary, among those who
had been removed from places outside this Parish. This total
compares with 937 certificates received during 1898. Of these
viii.