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56
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
In Streatham the number of cases was slightly under the
number for 1905. The maximum number of cases was notified in
February and the minimum in May.
The increase in February was to some extent due to the
occurrence of 12 cases in one house in Balham caused by an
unrecognised case. Eight of these cases were returned from hospital
as not having had Scarlet Fever after being kept under
observation for several days.
The only other outbreak of any consequence was in Streatham,
where 12 cases were notified from a tenement house of nine
rooms occupied by four families. These cases were notified in
September, November, and December, but the first case in September
was probably infected by a previous case next door notified
at the end of August. The first symptoms appeared on the30th
August, but it was not notified until the 3rd September, and
in the meantime other seven cases had been infected. The second
group of four cases were in all probability due to one of the first
group of cases returned from hospital on the 10th November. All
the cases were mild and no deaths occurred. There was great
carelessness on the part of the occupiers of the house in exposing
themselves and their children to infection, although repeatedly
warned of the danger that was incurred by so doing and by not
seeking medical advice earlier.
In Tooting the rate was very high, being 7.9 or .9 above the
rate in 1905. The cases in Tooting were not confined to any
special locality, but occurred over the whole area of the subdistrict.
The maximum number of cases, viz., 29, were notified
in the month of June and the minimum in December, viz., 13.
Deducting the 21 cases notified from the Fountain and Grove
Fever Hospitals, the rate would be 7'8.
One reason of the greater number of cases in Tooting is that
the number of children at school age in that sub-district is greater
compared with the total population than it is in any other part
of the Borough, and it is among children at school age that
Scarlet Fever most frequently occurs.