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26
Scarlet Fever.
The epidemic of this disease, which commenced in London
some time ago, is still prevalent. At intervals during the past
year it has shown signs of abatement. In the months July,
August, and September, so great was the increase in the
number of cases that all the available Fever Hospitals were
full, and a large number had to be treated at their homes ;
this naturally led to a rapid increase of the disease. In this
district at one time we were ten days waiting for a vacancy, a
state of things particularly deplorable in a crowded district
like Mile End ; there is no doubt that this was a means of
propagating the disease. In a number of instances amongst
the poorer classes the patient occupied the same apartment in
which the family lived. This condition was not singular to
our district, and as a result a conference of the various Sanitary
Authorities was held at Marylebone, at which delegates
from this Vestry and myself attended to consider what remedial
steps should be taken, The result of the conference was that
a resolution was passed calling on the Asylum Board authorities
to open for fever patients the Gore Farm Hospital,
containing 600 beds (which had been kept specially for the
isolation of Small Pox cases, and was then unoccupied).
Shortly after this conference the Gore Farm Hospital was
opened, and was of considerable service in relieving the
pressure of cases.
It was stated at the meeting that two additional Fever
Hospitals were in course of construction and would be completed
in March, 1896.
When the epidemic assumed such a serious form, I thought
it necessary to communicate with every Medical Practitioner in
the district, asking them to notify for removal only such cases
as were without proper isolation and accommodation. The
number of cases which occurred in our district during the
past year was 685, and the number of fatalcases 265. The
accompanying chart will show, week by week, the rise and fall
of the disease.