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26
Scarlet Fever. This disease occasioned 3 deaths, 2
being under five years of age, all in East Greenwich. Three
such deaths occurred in 1910 and 8 in 1909.
Diphtheria. There were 16 deaths from this disease
during 1911. This gives a Death Rate for Diphtheria of
0.17, comparing with 0.09, the rate for 1910. Ten deaths
occurred in 1910, which were attributed to this cause, and
7, 18 and 20 in the three preceding years.
Nine of the patients were under five years of age, 7 of
them dying in the Brook Hospital, and 7 of the patients
were over five years of age, and of these 5 died in the Brook
Hospital. There was a further number of 52 deaths from
Diphtheria in patients not ordinarily resident in this
Borough, but under treatment at the Brook Hospital.
Thirty-three tubes of Diphtheria Anti-toxin, containing
a total of 132,000 units of serum, for the treatment of patients
suffering from this disease, have been supplied by this
Council during the year.
Whooping Cough. This disease was given as the cause
of 14 deaths in 1911, as against 56, 20 and 31 in the three
preceding years. These deaths equal a rate of 0.15 per 1,000.
Nine of the deaths occurred in East Greenwich, 3 in West
Greenwich, and 2 in Charlton.
In pursuance of the policy outlined in the Annual Report
for the last year and previous years in connection with this
disease, application has now been made to the Local Government
Board for their sanction to our adding Whooping Cough
to the list of diseases notifiable under the Public Health
(London) Act, and it is hoped that very shortly this disease
will be placed in the same category as Scarlet Fever, Diphtheria,
and the like, with a view to Sanitary Authorities
having greater power to control patients suffering from the
disease, and carry out any necessary disinfection in relation
thereto.