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106
so that Scarlet Fever caused altogether 15 deaths among
our Parishioners, as against 31 in 1887.
Diphtheria caused 52 deaths, by far the largest number
on record for any year and more than twice the annual
average for the previous 10 years. Of the 52 deaths,
however, no less than 10 were those of non-parishioners in
Public Institutions, while on the other hand 3 of our
Parishioners died from this disease in Public Institutions
outside of the Parish, so that the actual number of deaths
of our Parishioners from diphtheria was no less than 45.
An outbreak of this disease occurred in the month of
May, and 10 deaths from it were registered during the five
weeks ending June 2nd. The cases were all among
children attending the St. Gabriel's Schools, the sanitary
arrangements of which were found to be fairly good. I
found, however, serious sanitary defects in the houses in
which the first cases occurred, and had them remedied. I
have no doubt that the disease was spread at the School
but that it did not originate there.
There was another outbreak of the same disease in
October, 11 deaths from it being registered during the five
weeks ending November 3rd. Several of the children
attacked attended the Pimlico Schools, which I inspected
and finding certain defects in the sanitary arrangements,
prepared a special report on them, advising certain improvements,
and forwarded it to the Managers of the Schools,
who had the necessary improvements carried out.
The prevalence of this disease during the year 1888 was
by no means peculiar to our Parish, as in London it caused
no less than 3,301 deaths, a proportion to persons living
"not only greatly in excess of the decennial average, but
higher than in any single year in the period in which
Diphtheria has been recognised as a distinct heading." The
mortality from this disease has in fact been increasing in