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tends to lose its characteristics, whereas the typhoid bacillus
retains its characteristics unimpaired.
In conclusion, Dr. Thorne points out the conditions necessary
as to the storage and fattening of oysters in suitable places,
and in water where there is no risk of sewage contamination,
and that many such places can be found around the coast of
England where there is not the least fear of oysters being
contaminated in any way whatever.
Infectious Diseases and School Attendance.
No special cases, taking school attendance as a special factor,
have been noticed during the year in St. Margaret's Parish.
On reference to the streets where the principal cases of
infectious disease have occurred, it will be noticed, generally,
that the cases have been scattered; e.g., in St. Margaret's
Parish, seven cases of Scarlet Fever are the most that have
occurred in one large block of buildings, and four cases of
Diphtheria are the highest that have occurred in any one
street in this parish. In St. John's Parish, the highest record
is eleven cases of Scarlet Fever in Peabody-buildings, Old Pyestreet,
and the highest number of cases of Diphtheria occurring
in any square or street has been eight.
During the Christmas holidays the Westminster Training
College Day Schools were thoroughly disinfected, owing to
more than one case of Diphtheria having taken place in the
same class, following rapidly upon each other. No further
cases, up to the present time, have been notified.
Measles.
During the past year 17 deaths from Measles were registered.
Three of the deaths occurred in St. Margaret's Parish and 14
in St. John's. During 1895, 23 deaths were registered, and
in 1894, 37 deaths occurred, so there has been a marked
decrease in the number of deaths from this disease during
the year 1896.
During the past year the attention of the Public Health
Committee has been directed to the question of compulsory
notification of this disease, by more than one Metropolitan
Sanitary Authority; but having had practical experience in
the matter of notification of measles, the Committee have
decided to take no action in the matter.
In Dr. Thomson's Report on Measles to the Local Government
Board, in the Annual Report for 1894-95, where a large
mass of reliable information is collected, it is stated that there
has been no decline in the mortality from measles during
recent years, and from a mass of statistics, he shows that