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43
for the supply of antitoxic serum to the Board's hospitals.
The production of the serum is now left entirely in the hands
of the Committee, the Managers defraying the cost of production,
but not being in any way responsible for the grooming
and keeping of the horses, &c. It was stated in the annual
report of the Chairman of the Board for 1897, that since the
introduction of antitoxin in the treatment of the patients
suffering from diphtheria, the case-mortality in all the Board's
hospitals has fallen—from 29.3 per cent, during the year 1894,
to 17.7 per cent, during the year 1897, " whilst the decrease in
the mortality amongst cases of post-scarlatinal diphtheria in
the convalescent hospitals has been most striking." The report
for 1898, shows a still further improvement upon these
relatively satisfactory statistics, the death-rate having further
fallen to 15.1 per cent.
WHOOPING-COUGH.
Whooping-cough was the cause of 52 deaths, as compared
with 39, 99, and 19, in the preceding three years successively;
49 in the Town sub-district and 3 in Brompton, the corrected
decennial average being 67. All of the deaths were of children
under five years cf age, including 23 under one year. The
deaths in London, as a whole, from this cause were 2,160, and
361 below the corrected decennial average (2,521).
FEVER.
One hundred and eight cases of Enteric Fever and Simple
Continued Fever were notified, 65 in North Kensington, and
43 in South Kensington, as compared with 99, 94, and
122, in the preceding three years successively. The deaths
registered from enteric fever were 12 (7 below the corrected
decennial average, 19, and the lowest number since 1887,
when 11 deaths were recorded) viz., 9 in the Town subdistrict,
and 3 in Brompton. Five of the deaths took place
at hospitals, to which 74 cases were removed, and 7 at home.