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Two of the notified cases were afterwards certified not to be suffering from enteric fever or
any other notifiable disease. Of the remaining fifteen cases, fourteen were notified from the
southern division of the Borough and one came from North Kensington. This heavier incidence
in South Kensington is not usual with other infectious diseases, and it is probably accounted for
by the facts that the water supply and sanitary arrangements in London generally are very good
and that a large number of persons contracting typhoid fever are infected outside the Metropolis.
It will be admitted that the residents in the southern portion of the Borough leave the London
area more frequently than those in the north and, consequently, are more exposed to infection
by reason of the fact that many districts outside London do not enjoy the same sanitary efficiency.
In two cases there was evidence that the disease had been contracted abroad. Three patients
had paid visits to the country a short time before the date of attack, but the remaining ten had
not been out of London for some time prior to the illness. One patient had lived in India, but
returned to England in 1924. In this case there was no history of previous illness. Another
patient was reported to have lived in the East twenty years ago and since that date had had
recurrent attacks of an illness which was described as malaria.
Seven of the cases were notified as paratyphoid fever.
Erysipelas.—Seventy-five cases were notified during the year, 39 of which were removed to
hospital. There were 2 deaths from this cause, the deaths in the three preceding years being
5, 4 and 4.

It will be seen that all the cases except one occurring in 1929 recovered without any injury
to sight. In the case which proved fatal the cause of death was in no way associated with
ophthalmia neonatorum.
Since the year 1920 there has occurred only one case resulting in blindness. This very
gratifying result is largely due to the efforts made by the Council's Health Officers to secure
hospital treatment, and to the excellent arrangements which the Borough Council have entered
into with the Kensington District Nursing Association for the home treatment.
It is the duty of midwives to report all forms of inflammation of the eye, even when the
condition is not ophthalmia neonatorum, and these cases, in addition to pure ophthalmia cases,
are dealt with by the Kensington District Nursing Association. In 1929, the ophthalmia
neonatorum and inflammation of the eye cases attended by the nurses numbered 18 and the
number of home visits paid in connection with these cases was 230. These visits average 13 to
each of the 18 patients, and indicate the great amount of trouble taken with this disease. The
visits paid by the Council's Women Health Officers are not included in the 230.