View report page

20 [Appendix IV.
defined, and, but for the occurrence of well-marked cases and the expectation of others, such cases
would probably have escaped diagnosis. It is to these cases, notably to the last, that of M. W., that
the spread of infection was probably due. Yery similar circumstances were noted in an outbreak
which occurred during 1899 among the employes of a large commercial establishment in the Parish.
At another girls' school, mixed day and boarding, two children (day scholars) in the kindergarten
class were reported ill with scarlet fever. The patients were residents in Kensington, and
the dates obtained were—
F. C. Last attended school November 8th. Certified 12th.
H. T. „ „ 23rd. „ 25th.
The kindergarten class was held in a large room, which was divided into two sections by a movable
wooden partition reaching from floor to ceiling. The second half of the room was used as a diningroom
for the boarders. There was a door communicating between the two sections of the room.
The infants of the kindergarten class and the boarders used the same play-rooms in the basement of
the building. Four cases were reported on the same day among the girl boarders, viz.:—
F. C. sickened November 23rd.
L. H. „ ,, 25th.
M. S. „ „ 27th.
M. H. „ „ 27th.
There were no further cases either among the day scholars or boarders after these patients had
been removed and the place disinfected.
Omitting from consideration the 3 cases reported in patients already under treatment in
hospital, 251 cases were removed from their homes to hospital for isolation, and 2 to other districts
(under proper supervision). Of the cases in North Paddington, 215 were isolated outside the
Parish (equal to 85 per cent. of the reported cases in the district), and of those in South Paddington,
38 (equal to 82.6 per cent.). The proportions for the past five years are given below:—
1900. 1899. 1898. 1897. 1896.
Paddington 84.6 71.6 80.1 77.3 78.7
St. Mary 85.0 83.7 81.4 79.6 59.9
St. John 82.6 59.4 74.0 61.6 71.4
The proportions of cases removed were the highest on record.

The 59 cases of this disease were 39 fewer than the number recorded in 1899 (98), and 13 less
than the average. The reduction is the more satisfactory as the returns for the Metropolis (4,387
cases), although below those of 1899 to the extent of 105 cases, were 816 in excess of the
decennial average.
In North Paddington 54 cases were recorded last year, compared with 81 in 1899 and a
decennial average of 56. In South Paddington only 5 cases were recorded in the year, compared
with 17 in 1899 and a decennial average of 16. Last year's return for South Paddington is
the minimum on record.
Of the districts included in Table 8, Paddington had the lowest enteric case-rate (0.45 per
1,000), and Chelsea the highest (0.87).
* Including cases certified as Continued Fever.