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attended by midwives in their confinements, and three by medical practitioners.
The other case was that oi' a patient in a nursing home, who
was operated on for a fibroid tumour of the uterus, which had induced a
miscarriage.
Measles —This disease was again prevalent in Chelsea during the
latter half of 1912, 20 out of 22 deaths for the year occurring in the last
two quarters.
Orders of the Medical Officer (L.C.C. Education) for the exclusion
from school of unprotected children attending certain classes in the
Infants' Departments were made in respect of most of the schools in the
Borough. During the year, 233 children attending Chelsea Schools were
notified to the Public Health Department by the teachers of the schools
as actually suffering from measles, whilst some 230 children, who were
"contacts," i.e , living in houses invaded by measles, were excluded from
school attendance for longer or shorter periods.
Seventy cases of measles were removed to M.A.B. hospitals during
the course of the year, all being severe cases, or the circumstances of the
home being such that proper nursing was impossible, or there was
imminent risk of infection spreading to unprotected children in the house.
The average duration of stay in hospital of 34 cases, of which records are
to hand, was 35 days, as against 38 in 1911. Two cases were sent from
the Chelsea Infirmary to hospital, and 9 cases from St. George's Infirmary.
There can be no question that the provision of hospital accommodation
for a certain proportion of the more severe cases of measles has had a
notable effect in diminishing its fatality. It is impossible to express any
opinion as to whether the removal of severe cases to hospital tends to
limit the spread of infection, as so many centres of infection still remain
in the persons of children suffering from mild and unrecognised attacks.
Whooping Cough.—Thirty-eight cases of this disease were admitted
to the M.A.B. hospitals in 1912, namely, 7 from the Chelsea Infirmary,
10 from St. George's Infirmary, 6 from the Cheyne Hospital, and 15 from
private addresses. The average duration of stay in hospital of 24 cases,
of which the records are to hand, was 91 days, as against 74 days in 1911.
The whooping.cough cases are detained in hospital more than twice as
long as the measles cases.
Notifications of Phthisis.