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From this table it appears that the deaths in 27 years due to
scarlet fever, diphtheria, typhoid fever and small-pox, all taken
together, numbered 507, to whooping cough 774, and measles 1,336.
In children under 5 years therefore, it is seen that measles
kills nearly three times the number of children whose deaths are
caused by small-pox, scarlet fever, diphtheria and typhoid fever all
combined. Whooping cough alone causes many more than the
number of deaths accredited to the other four named infectious
diseases.
Diphtheria.—The number of cases notified was 208, all except
4 of which were admitted to isolation hospital. Of these, 19
were subsequently sent home as not suffering from diphtheria, 12
cases proved to be tonsilitis, 2 cases were diagnosed as laryngitis,
1 mumps, and 4 were described as " not diphtheria," leaving 189
true cases of diphtheria. There were 4 deaths, so that 2.1 per cent.
of all the patients died. The number of cases was 26 more than
last year ; the number of deaths is 1 less than in 1926.
The 4 cases treated at home were kept under observation;
suitable measures were adopted to secure isolation, and the premises
were disinfected upon the recovery of the patients.