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In all cases more than half the children were absent at the closure of the Infants' Departments,
and in the Babies' class at Great Wild Street only 12 were present out of a roll of 62.
132 premises were disinfected by the Council, and in the remainder the premises were disinfected
by the householder to the satisfaction of the medical attendant, or the rooms and the patient's clothing
were thoroughly cleansed by the householders.
WHOOPING COUGH.
During the year there were only 8 deaths from whooping cough in comparison with an average
for the previous decennium of 26. Of the 8 deaths 2 occurred in the St. Giles and Bloomsbury
district and 6 in the Holborn Division. All were of children under five years of age. The decennial
averages for the two divisions were 12 and 14 respectively.
DIARRHŒA.
The number of deaths from diarrhoea during the year was 35, in comparison with an average of
39 during the previous decennium, the lowest being 14 in the year 1902 and the highest 56 in the year
1899.
Of the 35 deaths, 10 belonged to St. Giles and Bloomsbury, and 25 to the Holborn Division.
The decennial averages for these divisions of the Borough were 18 and 22 respectively.
Thirty-two of the 35 deaths were of young children under 5 years of age, 28 being children
under 1 year; 29 of the 35 deaths occurred in the third or summer quarter of the year.
There were also 6 deaths from enteritis during the year, only one of which occurred during the
summer quarter.
Of the 25 deaths of young children under 1 year of age, it was found that only three were
breast-fed; 19 were fed with bottle alone, and three partly by bottle. Nine of the mothers were
engaged in work outside the home.
PHTHISIS OR CONSUMPTION.
The number of deaths from phthisis during the year 1904 was 157, equivalent to a death-rate
of 2.75 per 1,000, of these 75 belonged to St. Giles and Bloomsbury, being a death-rate of 2.48 per
1,000, and 82 to the Holborn District or a death-rate of 3.06 per 1,000.
The corrected number of deaths for London was 7,526, the corresponding death rate being 1.62
per 1,000.
The number of deaths from other tubercular diseases was 24, of these 12 belonged to St. Giles
and Bloomsbury, and 12 to the Holborn District.