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Ages. Feb. Mar. April. May. June. July. August. Total.
0-1 6 11 10 17 19 7 8 78
1—2 8 16 11 17 18 15 9 94
2—3 6 13 13 14 20 12 11 89
3—4 10 27 13 19 19 13 10 111
4-5 21 26 15 24 35 15 10 146
5—6 20 36 18 29 38 10 11 162
6—7 11 13 11 10 29 14 7 95
7—8 5 10 8 9 18 5 6 60
8-9 2 5 2 7 4 2 3 25
9-10 4 3 6 3 6 5 — 27
10—11 1 5 2 2 2 1 13
11—12 2 3 2 3 4 3 — 17
12 and
over 17 4 7 15 11 12 5 71
Totals 113 172 116 169 223 115 80 988
All the 937 Chickenpox-infected houses, in which the 988
cases occurred, were visited, and the usual precautions as to isola-
tion disinfection, etc., carried out, whilst, as Chickenpox is a rare
diseasa in adult life, and may be at that age-period more readily
mistaken for modified Smallpox, the 71 cases notified amongst
adults (12 years and over) were the subject of special investigation
and examination by the Medical Officer. Four cases notified as
Chickenpox proved, on examination, to be Smallpox, but these
cases would have been heard of without the compulsory notification
of the disease on account of the system of voluntary notification
of all doubtful or suspicious cases of " spots,"' which was inaugurated
in Lambeth Borough at the commencement of the
epidemic. In the late epidemic (as far as Lambeth Borough is
concerned) the compulsory notification of Chickenpox has proved
practically useless, as well as being, in the opinion of your Medical
Officer of Health, a needless expense, under the special circumstances
mentioned.
The practical difficulties in grappling with these large numbers
of Chickenpox cases soon appeared, and the London County
Council, on February 24th, 1902, appointed 37 medical men
throughout the Administrative County of London to act as consultants
or experts in connection with the diagnosis of doubtful
cases of Smallpox, the London County Council to pay the fees
(10s. 6d. for each case visited). The notification fee is, in addi-
tion, 1s. each certificate, the Metropolitan Asylums Board, in a
letter dated April 5th, giving the opinion that such experts act
in a public capacity as Medical Officers of a public body. This
action of the London County Council gave rise to a large amount
of ill-feeling amongst the different Metropolitan Authorities, it