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ingly much against the parents' wish, removal of the child to the
hospital was urged and finally consented to and effected. The
child shortly afterwards developed the very serious paralytic
condition which frequently follows attacks of Diphtheria, and its
stay in the Hospital was a somewhat prolonged one.
Who can say how many cases of Diphtheria might have
arisen from this unsuspected source had not bacteriological
investigation been resorted to.
In my opinion, if one could only obtain reliable details as to
possible sources of infection in all cases, one would often
find that some apparently slight attack of sore throat had in
reality been diphtheritic in character, and whilst not materially
affecting the health of the original sufferer, had unfortunately
given rise to other cases of the disease.
Three cases of Membranous Croup, 1 being in West
Greenwich, and 2 in St. Nicholas, were also heard of.
Erysipelas- -One hundred and seventeen cases of Erysipelas,
42 being in East Greenwich, 36 in West Greenwich, 25 in St.
Nicholas, 13 in Charlton, and 1 in Kidbrooke. Of this number
17 were treated in the Hospital.
Scarlet Fever. —There were 459 cases of Scarlet Fever: 230
being in East Greenwich, 126 in West Greenwich, 46 in St.
Nicholas, 46 in Charlton, and 11 in Kidbrooke. Of this total 355
were treated in the Hospital.
There were 6 fatalities from this disease, which gives a case
mortality of one per cent., again presumably an outbreak of this
disease, of a mild character.
The Metropolitan Asylums Board's officials themselves considered
that 24 cases of this disease had arisen in houses to which
a patient had previously been discharged from their Hospitals,
and within such a period of time that the possibility arose of such
discharged patient being here the cause of the further case,
the following particulars respecting such cases are submitted: —