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and 5 each in 1907 and 1906. One of the deaths occurred in East
Greenwich and one in West Greenwich.
Diarrhœa and Zymotic Enteritis. Thirty-one deaths were
stated to be due to this cause, equalling a rate of 0.31 per 1,000.
Last year there were 159 deaths, and 35, 34 and 49 respectively in
the three preceding years.
The deaths were distributed as follows:—Fourteen in East
Greenwich, 8 in West Greenwich, 7 in St. Nicholas, and 2 in
Charlton. Three patients were over five years of age.
From a comparison of the above figures it will be noticed
what a large drop there was in the number of deaths credited to
this disease during this year compared with the preceding year.
Undoubtedly the large proportion of this reduction is due to the
different atmospheric conditions prevailing during the two years,
for on comparing the figures for the various Boroughs throughout
the whole of London one finds that a similar marked improvement
has taken place. The average Death Rate for Diarrhœa and
Enteritis in children under two years of age throughout the whole
of London was 12.42, whilst for these two years of life the Greenwich
rate was 10.46 per 1,000 births. Throughout the whole of
London the figure varies between the wide range of 0.78 in Hampstead
to 26.39 in Shoreditch: Greenwich standing in the 11th
position. It will also doubtless be borne in mind that during (he
summer months we had the services of a Temporary Female Health
Visitor, whose duty it was to visit under the Notification of
Births Act; this visitation was doubtless of some assistance in
reducing the number of deaths, as it enabled the Inspector to give
advice and practical help to mothers just at the time when such
help was most needed and valued, that is, when the case of sickness
was actually in the house. Many strange diets were noted
during the course of this visitation, one of the most unsuitable
for young children being what are locally known as "Toffee
Apples," that is, small apples, most probably fallings, and, therefore,
in an unripe condition, either partially cooked or not cooked
at all, which are dipped in syrup and sold at many of the small