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42
Diphtheria.—Cases of this disease were also fewer than in 1906,
although in other parts of London there was a marked increase.
From the subjoined table it will be seen that the cases of Diphtheria
in Westminster were fairly spread over the twelve months, and
Table XII shows that the southern part of the city suffered chiefly.
Notification of Diphtheria Gases Received in each Month of the Years
1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, and 1907.
January.
February.
March.
April.
May.
June.
July.
August.
September.
October.
November.
December.
Total.
1901
13
10
16
22
19
19
34
19
27
36
21
17
253
1902
27
19
17
17
25
20
39
25
9
27
32
28
285
1903
17
13
23
8
18
14
21
9
13
17
13
20
186
1904
6
17
10
12
9
18
11
10
10
27
9
6
145
1905
7
7
12
11
9
6
10
8
14
15
12
118
1906
20
23
11
8
13
20
21
14
13
28
22
13
206
1907
20
21
8
11
9
12
18
1
7
18
7
13
145
Advantage was taken by medical men of the means provided by the
City Council to have the diagnosis of their cases assisted by bacteriological
examination of swabbings from the nose or throat in 89
instances.
In 10 instances I have had a bacteriological examination made of
the throats of the members of families in which a case has occurred,
and no medical man was in attendance; the true bacillus was not
found in any of them.
The body of a child who had died suddenly was admitted to the
mortuary on an order of the Coroner. The medical man, on making an
examination, found adherent membranes, apparently of diphtheritic
origin, on the tonsils and palate. Six persons in the house in which
the child had lived were seen, and Hoffman's pseudo-diphtheria bacillus
was discovered in the throat of one of them. Within a week, however,
of the child's death four of the family were notified to be suffering from
scarlet fever, so that probably the child's death was due to this disease
and not to diphtheria.
There were 16 deaths, equal to a mortality of 11.0 per cent, of the
notified cases; in London the rate was 8.9:—
Diphtheria.
1901.
1902.
1903.
1904.
1905.
1906.
1907.
Deaths per 100 Cases—
The City
10.0
11.0
8.6
3.4
4.2
7.6
11.0
The County
10.9
10.8
9.6
10.2
8.6
8.8
8.9