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63
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
The chart shows the number of cases notified during each week
of the year.
The maximum number of cases was notified in the first week of
October when 16 cases were notified, and the minimum in the fourth
week in April and the third week in May, when no cases were notified.
With the exception of the increased prevalence of the disease in
March and October the amount of Diphtheria in the Borough was
much under the average.
The slight increase in March was chiefly due to the occurrence of
cases in South Streatham and chiefly in connection with Mitcham
Lane Board School.
Three cases had been notified in January in connection with this
school, three in February, and eight in Marcln As an outbreak similar
to what occurred in that neighbourhood was feared I communicated
with the Medical Officer, London County Council Education Department,
and on the 15th March the Infants' Department was inspected
and 44 cultures were taken. Among these one was found to have the
Diphtheria bacillus present and he was at once excluded, as were also
two other children, cultures from whom gave suspicious results.
Only one case was notified in April and one in May, while in June,
July, August and September no cases occurred.
The increase in September and October was not confined to any
particular sub-district or school, but was general all over the borough.
In October 12 cases were notified from Clapham, five from Putney,
18 from Streatham, seven from Tooting, and 12 from Wandsworth, a
total of 54, and of these 22 were not in attendance at any school.
The following Table shows the number of cases of Diphtheria and
their relationship to the schools in the Borough :—