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THE STRAND DISTRICT, LONDON.
23
deaths in the latter district. The death rate in London was 0.09
per 1,000 below the average (0.56) of the preceding 10 years.
Diarrhceal Disease.—17 deaths occurred from Acute or
Infantile Diarrhoea, 7 of the deaths being in St. Anne, 10 in the
Strand. In 1897 there were 21 deaths, in 1896, 22 deaths.
Several deaths were registered as due to this cause, but on enquiry
being made into the conditions, it was found that diarrhoea had
been only a symptom of some other complaint. The 17 deaths
mentioned above, refer to those which were found to be due to the
definite form of complaint which is known variously as Epidemic
Diarrhoea, Infantile Diarrhoea, Enteritis. Dr. Klein writing in
the Report of the Local Government Board for 1897.98, describes
an organism the bacillus enteritidis sporogenes, which he believes to
be intimately concerned in the causation of infantile diarrhoea and
English Cholera. This organism is especially abundant in animal
excreta, and in matters contaminated therewith; it is not obtainable
from the bowel discharges of healthy persons or of patients
suffering from ordinary casual diarrhoea. Milk is a specially
favourable multiplying ground for this bacillus. Enquiry in
various large centres has shown clearly that this complaint attacks
young children who are bottle.fed, while those who are entirely
breast.fed escape. This disease might be got rid of if greater
care were taken to prevent contamination of the food supplied to
young children. Were all milk sterilised by being boiled before
being drunk, not only would the amount of diarrhoea be decreased
but danger of tubercular disease (consumption of the bowels), and
other complaints would also be removed. *
It is also important when food has been cooked that it should
not be exposed to the risk of contamination. This may occur in
various ways, but chiefly by filth being carried on to the articles
of food by wind in the form of dust, and by flies. If the
surroundings of a house are dirty and polluted the material
conveyed by these agencies will undoubtedly be of a deleterious
* Boiling milk, even for one or two minutes, effectually destroys any disease
organisms it may contain. Children soon get used to the taste of boiled milk,
but when they do not, the milk may be rendered harmless by placing it in a
small tin saucepan, inside a larger one containing cold water, putting both on
the fire together and boiling the water.