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removal, which accordingly took place, the patient being returned
from the Wharf next day with the diagnosis of not small-pox. The
second report was that of a man who had visited a local doctor late
on Saturday night, but on calling at his home on Sunday morning
I found that he had gone out. Later on he seems to have
become apprehensive of pains and penalties, if not of illness, and
he presented himself for examination at the Wharf, where he was
considered to be not suffering from small-pox. The third case was
from the outskirts of the Borough, adjoining Bermondsey. In this
case the patient was removed to hospital.
No cases of cholera, relapsing fever, typhus fever, or plague
were reported.
There were 34 notifications of ophthalmia neonatorum. In
each case the house was visited, and if the baby was not under
medical attention this was advised to be at once secured; but in
order to make sure that prompt measures were being taken a telephone
message was sent to the Ranyard Nursing Association, with
the result that a nurse was at once sent down and took in hand
the necessary local treatment. For this the Association has made
no charge whatever.
Ten notifications were received of the various forms of disease
classed under the heading of puerperal fever. In each case whether
the nurses were under the control of the Sanitary Authority or
whether they were merely neighbours who were summoned in the
emergency, they were instructed to see me at the Town Hall, so
that I could make sure that all possible disinfection had been
carried out.
Thirty-two more notifications of erysipelas were received than
in 1910, the increased numbers being more noticeable in St. George's
and the two Peckham districts than elsewhere. As compared with
1910 there were 6 more in 1911, and 4 of these were inmates of
the infirmary. One of these, in Dulwich, was of a particularly
malignant type, and at the request of the medical attendant we
carried out a very thorough disinfection.
The disease known as anterior polio-myelitis, which has sometimes
appeared in epidemic form, has been added to the list. Each
case has been visited and any action necessary has been taken.
It will be seen that during the past year two more diseases
have been added to the list of those to be notified under the Public
Health Act, and pulmonary tuberculosis has also to be reported
under an Order from the Local Government Board.
The deaths from infantile diarrhœa began to assume formidable
proportions about the last week in July, and continued well above
the ordinary until the middle of September.
The deaths occurred in the various Wards as follows: The
greatest number of deaths, 20, both from diarrhœa and enteritis,
were in No. 7 Ward. Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 12 had each over 10
deaths from the former, the others, except in 19 and 20, ranging
round five deaths from the same disease. Those from enteritis were
most numerous in 1 and 7, and least so in 13, 18 and 20. As regards