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21
Diphtheria occurred in the Brook Hospital amongst patients not
resident in this Borough. This disease apparently has not been
improved as far as it affects this Borough by the climatic
conditions prevailing during the year, for this is one of the diseases
that has chiefly brought about the increase in our Zymotic death
rate, there having been only 16 deaths from this disease last year,
as compared with 27 during this year.
Nineteen tubes of Diphtheria Anti-toxin, containing 4,000
units each, for the treatment of cases of this disease, have been
provided by the Council, and used by Medical men practising in
the Borough during the year.
Whooping Cough. This disease has occasioned 37 deaths,
throughout the whole of the year, compared with 19 deaths during
the previous year; here, again, a slight increase in the number of
fatalities. Seventeen of the deaths were in East Greenwich, 8 in
West Greenwich, 3 in St. Nicholas, and 9 in Charlton, giving a
total death rate of 0.37 per 1,000 for the whole of the Borough.
It seems as if we have been passing through a somewhat sharp
epidemic of this disease, as we have heard of a large number of
cases from the School Authorities, and this epidemic is still
continuing. The disease, however, is one which, as a Sanitary
Authority, we have very little to do, as the cases are not notifiable,
and the only way in which we hear of them is by means of
returns from School Authorities, and, when a fatality has occurred,
by means of the Death Returns.
We, however, do what we can, in order to check the spread
of the disease, by visiting the premises when we become aware
that a case of this illness has occurred, and offering to disinfect on