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Diphtheria and Membranous Croup.
30 vials of antitoxin were distributed under the Antitoxin
Order, 1910, free of cost to medical practitioners practising within
the Borough.
No school was closed for diphtheria.
4 cases of membranous croup were notified (no deaths).
Puerperal Fever and Ophthalmia Neonatorum.
The numbers of cases notified and deaths registered from
these two diseases were, respectively, 20 and 83 (notified
cases), and 9 and 0 (registered deaths). Having regard to the
total number of births registered, the incidences of these two
diseases are small. Both are preventible and caused through neglect
or want of care on the part of those in charge of the mother during
the puerperium and of the infant during the first few days or weeks
of life.
Erysipelas.
122 cases were notified and 3 deaths registered from erysipelas,
a septic disease. The majority of the cases notified were of a mild
type, and not such as were anticipated by the framers of the Notification
Acts.
Scarlet Fever.
501 cases were notified and 6 deaths registered from scarlet
fever. No school outbreak of scarlet fever occurred, necessitating
closure of classrooms.
2.—Non-Notifiable Diseases.
Chickenpox.
492 cases of chickenpox were notified voluntarily.
Diarrhœa
There has been a marked decrease in the number of
corrected deaths from diarrh œa 105 as comparedwith yearly
averages of 191.6 219-4, 208.6 140.2 and178.2during the five
quinquennia 1891-1895, 1896-1900, 1901-1905, 1906-1910 and 1911-
1915, respectively. Of the 105 deaths registered during 1916, 98,
i.e., 93.3per cent., occurred amongst children under 5 years of age
83, i.e., 79.0,amongst infants under 1 year of age.
The 4 ft. earth thermometer first registered 56° F. on June 29th,
rising to a maximum of 62° F. on August 10th, and remaining at
such maximum until August 19th, and sinking to 56° F. again on
October 22nd. The readings of the 4 ft. earth thermometer were
taken in Regent's Park, and the information was obtained through
the courtesy of the the Secretary of theRoyal Botanical Society.
19 corrected deaths (11 infants under 1 year of age) were registered
from enteritis.