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No steps have yet been taken by the London County Council with
respect to the application to Measles of the provisions of the Public
Health (London) Act, which render a person liable to a penalty, who
while suffering from any dangerous infectious disease, wilfully exposes
himself without proper precautions against spreading the disease, or
being in charge of any person so suffering, exposes such sufferer.
WHOOPING COUGH.
54 deaths were ascribed to this disease, being 16 below the
average for the last 6 years, allowing for the increase of the population.
The death-rate was 0.41, and that of the County of London 0.38.
DIARRHŒA.
Diarrhœa was given as the cause of 183 deaths, the mortality
being slightly less than in 1898, but there was a large increase in the
deaths ascribed to Gastro-Enteritis, etc., most of which were of the
same nature, so that the actual fatality of epidemic Diarrhoea was
higher than in any recent year. Allusion has been made in previous
reports to the want of uniformity in the classification of deaths from
Diarrhœa, owing to the various names used in death certificates in
respect of deaths due to epidemic Diarrh œ a, and the consequent
invalidation of comparative .statistics dealing with the Diarrh œ al and
Zymotic death-rates. As a result of representations made by the
Society of Medical Officers of Health, the Royal College of Physicians
have sanctioned the use of the terms " Epidemic Enteritis " or " Zymotic
Enteritis" as a synonym for "Epidemic Diarrh œ a," the latter being
the title authorised by the" Nomenclature of Diseases," and recommend
the entire disuse as synonyms of Epidemic Diarrh œ a of such terms
as Gastro-Enteritis, Muco-Enteritis or Gastric Catarrh, and it is to be
hoped that medical practitioners will follow these recommendations.