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58
Twenty deaths were registered during the year, as compared with
11, 15, and 12 for the three previous years.
The rate of mortality was 0'18 per 1,000, and for the three previous
years 0.10, 0.14, and 0.10 respectively.
The death rate for England and Wales was 0.12, for the 96 great
towns 0.13, for the 145 smaller towns 0'11 and for the County of
London 0.09.
The cases were distributed in the various Wards as follows:—
East 52, North 58, North-West 65, South 21, South-East 29, and
South-West 22. It will be seen therefore that the cases were fairly
evenly scattered over the borough and throughout the year, with a
slight increase in November.
It will be seen on the age table that the largest number of attacks
occurred between the ages 5—15.
When the patient is treated at home, no other child from the same
house is allowed to attend school while the patient is infectious, nor
for two weeks afterwards.
Contacts.
The examination of the throats of diphtheria contacts whenever
practicable, by bacteriological means, is a most important aid to
precautionary measures against the spread of diphtheria. Should a
positive result be obtained in the case of children showing no evidence
of diphtheria, the presence of some measure of infection is assumed,
and much valuable light on the origin of outbreaks is obtained. Your
Medical Officer takes swabs of all contacts or suspicious cases whenever
they come to his notice.
The Council now provide diphtheria anti-toxin for the use of medical
men, including Poor Law Medical Officers. Practitioners in the borough
may obtain from the Public Health Department anti-toxin sufficient
for their purposes, upon sending a written order stating the name, age,
and address of the patient, together with the doctor's name, and stating
that it is to be used for a poor inhabitant of the borough. If the patient
is able to pay, we find the medical man quite willing to pay us the
actual cost of the anti-toxin which he obtains for the patient.
It is desirable that medical men should be aware of these facilities,
and emphasis laid on the importance of prompt treatment by anti-toxin,
and the saving of life which may be effected.
Bacteriological examinations were made during the year of 347
specimens of membrane, of which 91 were found to be positive,
249 negative, and 7 doubtful.