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other infectious diseases.
Officer of Health of the City or Borough. Such patients can, however, only be admitted if the
accommodation set aside for Poor Law cases is more than is required for such cases at the time.
The recommendation for admission has to be accompanied by " such information respecting the
case as the Metropolitan Asylums Board Managers may reasonably require." When the
demand for admission of non-pauper cases exceeds the accommodation available. " the Metropolitan
Asylums Board Managers shall have regard to each person's need of isolation in the
interests of public health" in deciding what cases are to have priority of admission. Last year
70 cases of measles (some having a mixed infection of measles and whooping cough) and 28 of
whooping cough were admitted from the Borough. The number of cases was too small and
admission was too much limited to the poorest of the population to permit of conclusions as to
the value of hospital isolation.
OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
In addition to the 1,281 cases tabulated (at the end of the year) as "measles," there were
148 cases of " German measles" reported by the staffs of the public elementary schools. It is
only in the final tabulation that any distinction is made by the Department between " measles "
and "German measles." In 1910, 77 cases of "German measles" were reported, and 10 in 1909,
so that the prevalence of "German measles" during those three years was on lines similar to
those of measles.
The other diseases reported by the school staffs, of which any account is kept, are chickenpox,
mumps, and ringworm. The first was formally notified for a period of three months dating
from March 22nd on account of the outbreak of smallpox, to which attention has already been
drawn. During that period 121 cases were reported, which have been included with the
numbers of cases reported by the school staffs. (See below.) None of these diseases caused
any deaths. (See also Schools, p. 69.)
Quarters. 1. 2. 3. 4. Year.
1909 100 73 43 128 344
Chickenpox l910 222 103 55 140 520
1911 129 147 100 131 507
1909 211 114 30 65 420
Mumps 1910 31 23 3 12 69
1911 40 39 10 134 223
1909 45 49 40 42 176
Ringworm l910 41 24 13 24 102
1911 37 43 31 54 165
Leprosy.—One death was certified as due to this cause. The deceased was a Jew, aged
44 years, and the disease was stated to have been contracted in Brazil. The true nature of the
disease was not discovered until it was too late to make any investigation of the case.
Dysentery.—In February of last year there was a group of cases of acute sickness and
diarrhoea affecting nine persons in two families, the bacillus dysenteries (Flexner) being demonstrated
in the faeces of the patients. The occurrence of that organism in this country is almost
unknown, except in the persons of those who have returned from foreign parts. In this instance
there was no history of any member of the households having been recently away from England
or of any contact with anyone who had recently come to the country. An account of the
outbreak and of the results of the bacteriological investigation will be found in the Journal of
Hygiene*
* Vol. ix., p. 356 (November, 1911).