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80
INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
General.—All homes are visited by a Sanitary Inspector and an
Enquiry Officer, who arranges for isolation or Hospital treatment, and
investigates the possible source of infection, and deals with the schools
and contacts.
SMALL POX.
There was no case of Small Pox during 1927, nor in the preceding
five years. During the present year I visited a few suspected cases
which were found to be chicken pox.
SCARLET PEYER.
Although 21 more cases were notified during the year the number
of deaths diminished by 2. This fact points to the decreasing virulence
of the disease.

DIPHTHERIA.
There was a diminution of notified cases amounting to 171, and a
decreased mortality of 11. Probably this was partly due to the climatic
conditions, but is very satisfactory in view of the prevalence of this
disease in Southwark.
The Schick Test has not been utilised, but I have made the following
report to the Council in November last: —
"A few years ago Dr. Bela Schick, of Vienna, published results of
experiments by which he showed that injection of a certain substance
into the skin produced a slight red spot in cases where the person was
liable to contract Diphtheria, but no reaction occurred when the person
was immune. By this test, named after him the "Schick Test" he was
enabled to divide persons into two classes; those susceptible to the
infection of Diphtheria and those who were not. Following on this, he
found it possible by giving the susceptible persons three injections of