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II.-NOTIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
In Table V. of Appendix will be found particulars of infectious
diseases notified during the year under report.
The number of cases notified, exclusive of notifications of
tuberculosis, which numbered 445, was 2,045 compared with 1,486
in 1920 and 1,390 in 1919. The disease showing the principal
increase was diphtheria.
The attack rate per thousand inhabitants was 16.29 against
11.5 in 1920.
55 cases were returned from hospital as not suffering from
the disease for which they were notified, but, if allowance is made
for mild unreported cases, the recorded notifications would, if
anything, understate the actual number of cases.
Diphtheria.
There were 741 cases of diphtheria notified in 1921 as against
268 cases in 1920.
The attack rate per thousand inhabitants was 5.90, against
2.07 in 1920. The case mortality was 9.3 per cent., against 9.3 per
cent. in 1920, and 7.6 per cent, in 1919. 27 cases were returned
as not suffering from this disease.
For many years up to September, 1920, the figures for diphtheria,
not only for the Borough, but for London, remained very low, and
considerably below those of Scarlet Fever, but with the epidemic of
scarlet fever, which started in the Autumn of 1920, diphtheria also
showed some signs of increasing, and remained on a higher level than
previous up to the Autumn of 1921. From the middle of September,
1921, a steady rise in diphtheria occurred, and in the week ending
November 21st, the maximum of 44 cases in one week was reached.
In the previous week scarlet fever dropped considerably below the
level of diphtheria, and has remained so to the present time (middle
of 1922). Since the beginning of the present century, the prevalence