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This bears out the statement that females suffer more than males
from diphtheria, and such was also found to be the case in the
previous year.
Looking at the report on rainfall and sewers, page 66, it will be
seen that during the past year there were some heavy downfalls of
rain, but no serious cases of flooding were reported. The great good
done by the London County Council's new sewer and pumps is
manifest. Diphtheria, as per notifications during the years 1893 and
1894, existed to the greatest extent in North Bromley, but in the
past year it has shewn itself most rife in North Poplar, and under
ordinary circumstances in the Poplar District, one would consider
perhaps North Poplar, from the character of its inhabitants, to be
the region where diphtheria, when prevalent, would exist to the
greatest extent.
Studying Chart III. it will be seen that the diphtheria notifications
for the week ended the 15th June, were the highest for any given week
in Poplar and Bromley. Chart I. for the Metropolis also shews the
notifications for the same disease on the increase. The notifications
in Poplar and Bromley are seen to be low in the month of July, but
in August they run up again. The notifications in the Metropolis do
not drop until the end of July. As a possible explanation, I think
the rainfall had a great influence over the cause of diphtheria at this
period of the year.
Whitechapel, and St. George-in-the-East, the mortality per 1000 living and the
case mortality are sure to be greater than in the Poplar District, although—for
reasons which I have endeavoured to explain in former reports—diphtheria has
existed enormously in this last-named district,