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49
disease. The school was closed from May 20th to June
10th, rooms disinfected and cleansed, and ceilings whitewashed,
and the drains tested, with the result that they
were found to be defective (the sanitary fittings also being
bad). The drains were partly relaid, new w.c.'s provided,
the sink waste disconnected and under-trapped,
and the soil pipe reconstructed and placed outside the
building.
The case mortality is very low—especially in the Outer
Wards, whilst the difference of hospital versus home
treatment is noteworthy (3 9 as compared with 1.2), and
explainable from the greater severity of the cases treated
in hospital as compared with those treated at home. The
large number of cases removed to Hospital, more especially
in connection with the Inner Wards, are highly satisfactory,
and there is no doubt but that prompt isolation has
prevented the spread of the disease and lowered considerably
the mortality. Indeed, the small number of total
deaths from Scarlet Fever [viz. 30) during 1898 is remarkable,
being £0 % below the average for the last 10 years;
whilst the incidence of the disease is for the whole of the
Parish, 3 3 per 1000 of the population at all ages. There
is little or no difference between the Outer and Inner
Districts (taken as a whole) as regards numbers of Scarlet
Fever deaths—a fact, as already stated, to be explained
(in part at least) by the higher percentage of cases removed
in the latter (77'6 %) as compared with the former
(60T %). Prompt isolation, followed by efficient disinfection
of rooms and their contents, is the keystone of the
preventive methods in battling with infectious and contagious
diseases, and preventing their spread.
d