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B. Communicable Diseases.
(1) Compulsorily Notifiable Diseases.
The details respecting the 951 notifications of infectious disease
received by me are set out in the Local Government Board's Return
(Table XV), which also shows the number treated in hospital as well
as the number of deaths.
The number of cases of each disease notified in London since 1890
are shown in Table XIV, together with cases notified during the
same period in the different divisions which, with some modifications,
now form the City. These figures are exclusive of duplicate notifications.
The charts indicate the number of notifications of scarlet fever,
diphtheria, enteric fever, and erysipelas in each week. In London
as a whole smallpox, puerperal, typhus and other continued fevers were
above the number of cases notified in recent years, while scarlet fever,
diphtheria, enteric fever and erysipelas were below.
In Westminster diphtheria and erysipelas showed an increase.
183 visits were paid in connection with doubtful cases, contacts,
patients returning from fever hospitals, &c.
Smallpox.—A man suffering from this disease was notified in
Camberwell. He had come from Cairo, and arrived in London on
the 21st January. His mother and three sisters were employed in
Westminster, two of them being hands in tailors' establishments. Steps
were at once taken to disinfect the work-places and all articles of
clothing therein, as well as some articles which had already been
delivered to the shops. Fortunately, most of those employed in the
various places had been re-vaccinated fairly recently, so that the risk of
the disease spreading amongst them was reduced to a minimum, and no
cases have occurred from this source in Westminster.
On the 2nd March, however, an Italian employed in a hotel kitchen
as a scullery man took ill, and was eventually found to be suffering
from smallpox. The origin of his illness could not be traced, but he
must have received the infection on the 18th or 19th February. There
had been a number of cases in Bristol, but no connection could be
traced between them. The man died. He had been unsuccessfully
vaccinated in infancy. Between 30 and 40 persons had been exposed
to infection in the house; 15 of these were engaged in hotels and
restaurants, 1 as a milliner and 1 as an upholsterer. Most of these
people had been re-vaccinated within recent years; those who had not
were re-vaccinated at once. Three adults and 3 children (including the
patient's wife and child) were taken into the Shelter for two days. No
spread of the disease occurred. There were a few cases at the same