View report page

13
however, a growing mass of evidence tending to show that the closure
of Infants' Departments, while not so seriously affecting the work of
the schools has a decidedly beneficial effect in controlling the disease.
This course was adopted in October at the outset of an epidemic
of Measles in Stratford New Town in connection with St. Paul's
Church Schools. In this case the Infants' Department, which was
carried on in a building removed a considerable distance from the
main school serving boys and girls, and recruited from areas sufficiently
separated to warrant the conclusion that the scholars did not mix to
any great extent outside school times, was closed for three weeks, with,
I believe, the result that the extent of the disease in that part of the
Borough was materially checked.
Diphtheria.—Last year was so marked by an undue prevalence
of Diphtheria, that in the Autumn I was instructed to report upon
the subject in association with the general zymotic death-rate of the
Borough. My report is reproduced in the Appendix, and I can add
little here, except to bring the statistics up to date, and take a general
review of the course of the disease throughout the whole year.
The monthly notified cases and deaths distributed to the four
Wards are shown in the Table below:—