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16
Medical Officers of Health Annual Report.
Enteric Fever.
The deaths were 17, as against 26 in the
previous year and were less than in any year since 1892.
There were 98 cases reported, also materially less than
in the three previous years. There were also 8 cases of
Continued Fever notified. The death-rate per thousand
living was 0.089 whilst in Registration-London it was
0.14.
Puerperal Fever.
Was the cause of 4 deaths, the smallest
number since 1889. There were 10 notifications of cases,
as against 6 in 1895.
Cholera.
One case was notified in the Tooting subdistrict,
but turned out to be not Asiatic Cholera.
Erysipelas.
Caused 10 deaths and there were 262
notifications, many of which were of cases of an exceedingly
trival character.
Measles.
The deaths from this cause were no less
than 154, equal to a rate of 0'81 per thousand living.
The disease was very prevalent in 1896 and the number
of deaths was the highest in any year since the separation
of Battersea ; it is referred to in detail in the local reports.
We again point out, as in our report for 1895, the importance
of something being done to stop this excessive
mortality. It is largely a matter of educating the poor as
to the necessity of taking care oi Measles. This we hold
could be to some extent accomplished if we knew of cases
of Measles, at present we only hear of deaths. A special
report on the notification of Measles appeared in our
report for 1895. All the deaths but 8 were of children
under 5 years of age.
It may be pointed out that the Registrar General's
Annual Summary shows that the deaths from this disease