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From this table, it will be seen that Haggerston suffered most severely,
and Shoreditch South least severely from the disease. The proportion of cases
of diphtheria to the number of people dwelling in the several sub-districts
being in South Shoreditch, 1 to 316.8; New Town, 1 to 277.2; Old Town, 1 to
236.4; and Haggerston, 1 to 187.6.
The diminished incidence of this disease in Shoreditch South, as compared
with that of the other three sub-districts, is, I think, largely to be accounted
for by the fact that there are not so many children in proportion in the former
sub-district as in the latter. South Shoreditch contains a very large number of
factories and workshops, in which are employed hands, who many of them do
not live in the district. The death-rate per 1,000 was highest in Haggerston,
and least in Shoreditch, being 1.4 and 0'7 respectively. The attack-rate is, in
Haggerston, also more than double that in Shoreditch South. During the
months of June and July I visited and inspected 34 houses in Acton Ward, in
the Haggerston Sub-district, in which, altogether, 45 cases of diptheria had
occurred since the beginning of the year. I also learned that during this
period in these same houses there had occurred 14 cases of throat illness,
which had not been notified as diphtheria.
The houses in Acton Ward are not so thickly packed together as in other
parts of the parish, and have good open spaces, both in front and behind,
admitting of the circulation of plenty of fresh air. There were defects in the
drainage of some of the houses visited, but by no means in all. The condition
of the sewers in the neighbourhood, however, is not satisfactory, and the
Vestry has under consideration the advisability of constructing new ones. In
some instances they are only a few feet below the surface of the road, which
renders it difficult to ensure a proper and efficient fall for the house drains.
Complaints have also been made from time to time as to the smells arising
from the road gullies, and in a few cases the occurrence of diphtheria in
neighbouring dwellings has been attributed to this cause by the friends of the
sufferers.
The houses inspected all shewed more or less evidence of dampness in the
lower walls. Nothing definite, pointing to illness amongst domestic animals,
could be obtained. My enquiries were made, especially with regard to throat
illness amongst cats.
There was no evidence pointing to any particular milk supply as being the
source of infection.
As to the schools attended by those who suffered from diphtheria, they
were as follows:—Haggerston Road Board School, St. Paul's, Broke Road,
Scawfell Street Board School, St. Mary's Church School, and the Canal Road Board
School. In several instances no school was attended, but in many cases the disease
first attacked a child who was attending school, and who became, apparently,
the means of introducing the disease in the family.