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tures for the growth of infecting organisms in milk and other infant
foods. Hand-fed infants are specially liable to fatal attacks for two
reasons, first because they run more risk of infective material being
introduced with their food, and secondly because hand-feeding, unless
conducted with the greatest circumspection, and with the most careful
adaption to the digestive capacity of the individual child, is apt to
induce intestinal catarrh or other digestive disturbances, which render
the bottle-fed babies unduly susceptible to diarrhœal disease.
Measles.
1915 Average for
previous 10 years.
Number of Deaths 49 50
Death rate per 1,000, Deptford 0.44 0.43
The number of cases of Measles dealt with during the year was 688,
as compared with the previous six years as follows :—
Cases. Deaths.
1915 688 49
1914 480 50
1913 497 50
1912 233 28
1911 664 67
1910 1,114 60
1909 467 66
As the disease was not notifiable under the Public Health (London)
Act, 1891, the above figures do not represent the total number of
cases which have occurred in the borough, as our only sources of
information are notifications of exclusions from schools by the Education
Authority and voluntary notification by parents.
The same procedure is adopted in the case of Measles with regard
to disinfection as if it were notifiable.
The rate of mortality was 0.44, compared with a rate of 0.45 for
1914, 0.45 for 1913, and 0.26 for 1912. The rate for London was 0.50.
The deaths occurred among the inhabitants of the various wards
as follows:—
East 11 North 9 North-West 20
South 2 South-West 7 South-West —