View report page

46 Medical Officers of Health Annual Report.
infectious illness, and undoubtedly there would be a very
great deal more of it, if less were done and less money
spent. One thing is I think certain, and that is that
there is but little, if any, wilful concealment of infectious
disease, the dread of removal to hospital and disinfecting
procedures, which was a formidable difficulty in former
years, having largely vanished from the popular mind,
so that, with the progress of education and sense of
responsibility among parents, we may hope that the
question of prevention of infection in connection with
overlooked cases will solve itself.
Enteric Fever.
There were only 19 cases notified during
the year, a much smaller number than in
the two preceding ones, and less than in any year of
the decade. There was only one death recorded, also
a remarkable circumstance and unprecedented in recent
years. This may be regarded as most satisfactory
evidence of the good sanitary condition of the parish
as a whole, the more so as several of the cases were
probably contracted outside its boundaries (two, for
instance, coming home ill from the continent, and
several from staying in various places at the time
when the infection was probably received). Careful
examination of the drains, etc, in infected houses
showed that there was some drainage defect in seven
of them. There was less Enteric Fever in London
generally during 1900 than in recent years, the deathrate
per thousand being 0'13 as against 0" 18 in 1899.
The death- rate in Clapham was only 0-01.
Puerperal
Fever.
There were six cases notified, and there were
three deaths, both being one above the preceding
year. Steps were taken in these cases to
disinfect and prevent the possibility of the infection
being conveyed to other patients by the nurses.