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discontinued. The mortality from this disease seems to be quite
independent of the disinfection and other preventive measures, for
last year, when we adopted the same negative procedure as now,
we showed a considerable decrease in mortality, instead of the
recurrent increase which has apparently been postponed to the
present year. As usual, all the fatal cases, with the exception of five,
occurred in persons under the age of five years.
The deaths from hooping cough, another fatal disease of childhood,
amounted to one more than last year; a few more occurred in
South Camberwell, and some less in North Peckham and St.
George's, and all these except three were of those under five years of
a ge.
The deaths from diphtheria were exactly the same as last year,
with comparatively little change in the incidence on the respective
districts excepting in St. George's, where there were nine more
deaths than last year. Early in February of this year a considerable
number of cases were notified among children attending Goodrich
Road School, and five of which notifications were received from one
of the Medical Officers of the London County Council. For the
most part these referred to children who had been attending school
and who presumably were well enough to do so, but whose throats
when examined bacteriologically were found to contain diphtheria
bacilli. I immediately visited the houses and found that the children
were for the most part quite well, but were under the observation of
their own medical attendants, and that an examination of a swab
taken from their throats afforded no bacteriological evidence of the
disease. So far as four of these were concerned I took no action in
the way of disinfection. No further cases occurred in these houses.
It will be seen that out of 375 notifications 333 were removed
to hospital; and in all those cases which were not so removed, they
were satisfactorily isolated at home, except in one instance of a
mild attack, which was reported to the Public Health Committee,
when it was decided to caution the parents. On enquiry, the
usual excuse was made that as the child did not seem very ill it
could not have diphtheria.
A case of small-pox was notified to us in a man who, on a
voyage from Alexandria to Marseilles, had been in contact with a
fellow-traveller who had some spots on his face and hands.
Measures were at once taken for his removal to hospital, and the
vaccination of all who were willing to undergo the operation, and
the disinfection of the house. No other persons were attacked. We
were able to obtain the names of some who had been in contact with
him during the voyage, and these names were forwarded to the
Medical Officers of Health for the districts concerned.
Apart from these, the only other fact worth recording in the
past year about this disease was an intimation I had of chicken-pox
in an adult. As this is a somewhat rare occurrence, I visited
the patient, who had been employed in the East End, and who had
returned home ill to his lodgings in Peckham, but found there was no
reason to suppose his illness to be anything else than chicken-pox.