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THE NOTIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
Small Pox, Diphtheria, Membranous Croups Enteric or Typhoid Fever, Typhus
Fever, Erysipelas, Continued Fever, Relapsing Fever, and Cholera.
During 1912, 1,577 cases of these epidemic diseases were notified to the
Medical Officer of Health, and they represent an attack rate of 4.8 per
1,000 of the inhabitants. The return is extremely satisfactory, for it compares
most favourably with an annual average during the last 21 years of 2,576, and
an attack rate of 7.77 per 1,000 inhabitants. Only on one previous occasion
have the notifications been so few, namely in 1910, when they numbered 1,525.
It is very gratifying to find that these diseases caused a diminished amount of
sickness in the borough. How great this is may be understood when it is
stated that there has been a decrease of 999 cases on the average of the years
1891.11. If these years be split up into decennial periods it will be found that
from 1891 to 1900 there were 30,557 cases notified, and from 1901 to 1910,
21,793 cases.