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Under the Anti-toxin Order, 1910, the council are empowered to supply diphtheria antitoxin
for administration to patients who are too poor to pay, and on signing the necessary
declaration that the patient cannot afford specific treatment, a medical man can obtain a free
supply from Mr. Evans, chemist, at No. 138, Ladbroke Grove, W.11, Mr. W. Reeves, chemist,
at No. 81, Cornwall Road, W.11, or from the public health department at the Town Hall. The
anti-toxin is obtainable at all hours of the day and night from Mr. Evans' and Mr. Reeves'
premises, and during office hours from the Town Hall. When the Town Hall is closed, applications
for anti-toxin can be made to Mr. Britton, an officer of the department, who lives at No. 1,
Hornton Place, Hornton Street (only a few yards from the Town Hall).
The council loan syringes with portable sterilizers to doctors for the purpose of administering
the anti-toxin. Medical men administering the council's anti-toxin to poor persons are, on
application to the medical officer of health, paid a fee of 5s. per patient treated.
In 1931 the borough council supplied 206,000 units of anti-toxin for 29 patients at a cost
of £13 13s. 6d.
The borough council undertake to supply toxin-antitoxin for the Schick test and immunisation
to any medical practitioner in the borough who may be co-operating with the medical
officer of health in an attempt to limit the spread of diphtheria in any institution, provided that
the consent of the authorities of the institution and of the parents or guardians of the children
concerned be obtained.
The cost to the Council of toxin-antitoxin supplied during 1931 was £7 13s.
Enteric Fever.—Sixteen cases of this disease were notified; 11 were removed to hospital
and two to nursing homes. The cases notified in the three preceding years were 32, 17 and 80.
There was one death from this disease as against 1, 0 and 0 in the preceding years. Five patients
notified as suffering from enteric fever were afterwards found not to have contracted the disease.
Seven were notified from the southern division of the borough and nine came from North Kensington.
In one case there was evidence that the disease had been contracted abroad; two patients
had paid visits to the country a short time before the date of attack; one had contracted the
disease aboard a ship whilst on a voyage to England ; but the remaining 12 had not been out
of London for some time prior to their illness.
Erysipelas.—Sixty-one cases were notified during the year, 31 of which were removed to
hospital. There were three deaths from this cause, the deaths in the three preceding years being
4, 2 and 4.

From the above table, it will be seen that ten cases recovered without any injury to sight;
one case died from another disease ; and one removed to another borough. The child whose vision
was impaired was born in hospital and received continuous institutional treatment for five months
before being discharged. In this case, everything possible was done to prevent blindness, but the
conditions were generally unsatisfactory from the onset of the disease.