View report page

1908]
120
SCARLET FEVER.
This disease was the cause of 1,409 illnesses, as compared with a corrected
average of 1,296 in the preceding 10 years ; they were thus 113 in excess.
A study of the accompanying chart shows that Scarlet Fever at the
beginning of the year was above the average of the corresponding weeks of the
preceding ten years, and that it kept in this position until the second week in
March, when it fell below it, only, however, to be again in excess in
the following week. Afterwards it remained in this position until the
first week in June, when there was a considerable decrease in the
cases notified. This decrease continued until the second week in July,
when the cases once more passed the average number for that week, and
ultimately, in the fourth week of that month, they were as many as 38,
or 12 cases above the average for that week. Although the number of
cases varied considerably from week to week, yet they remained above the
average until the first week in October, when they fell from 49 in the last
week of September to 38, or 3 below the average for the corresponding weeks
of the year. They then continued below the average until the first week in
November, when once more they were in excess, and with the exception
of the last week of the month, they may be said to have continued to be
excessive until the close of the year.
The 1,409 cases that were notified were equal to an annual attack-rate of
3.96 per 1,000 inhabitants, as compared with an annual mean rate of 6.94 in
the 10 years 1898-1907. In the County of London 22,072 cases occurred and
the attack-rate was 4.53 per 1,000, and in the Encircling Districts 4.43.
Of the notifications, 278 were reported in the first quarter, 267 in the
second, 410 in the third, and 454 in the fourth, the attack-rates being respectively
319, 3 07, 4.70, and 4.83 per 1,000 inhabitants.
The incidence of Scarlet Fever was distributed almost equally throughout
the borough, although undoubtedly Highbury and South-East Islington had
fewer cases in proportion to their population. The attack-rates for each of
the Sub-registration districts were, Tufnell, 4.45; Upper Holloway, 4.31;
Tollington, 4.45; Lower Holloway, 4.79; Highbury, 3 05; Barnsbury, 418,
and Islington South-East, 3.54 per 1,000 of their inhabitants.
Hospital Isolation.—1,274 cases out of 1,409 were removed to hospital
for treatment, which represents 90 4 per cent. of the cases, as compared with
94.4 per cent., the highest percentage on record, in the preceding year. Of these
1,274 cases, 1,212 were isolated in the Metropolitan Asylums Board hospitals.