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62
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
In Tooting, Scarlet Fever was very prevalent during the
whole year, but more especially in October, November and
December, and here also school infection played an important
part, although a large number of cases were due to unrecognised
cases. The maximum number of cases occurred in October, and
the minimum in March.
The rate in Tooting was 9'8o, much above the rate in any of
the other sub-districts, and 1.9 above the rate for 1906.
From the Fever Hospitals 33 cases were notified, and 14 from
the Tooting Bec Asylum, and if these be deducted the rate would
be 8.6 per 1,000, compared with 7.8 in 1906.
As stated in my Report for 1906, one reason for the greater
incidence of Scarlet Fever in Tooting is the fact that the number
of school children in that sub-district is greater in proportion to
the population than in any other sub-district in the Borough.
Another reason for the prevalence of the disease in Tooting is
the fact that, compared with other parts of the Borough, Tooting
contains a large proportion of the artizan and labouring classes,
a considerable number of the latter class being poor and unable
or unwilling to call in a medical man when the first symptoms
appear. The consequence is that the patient is permitted to go
about while in an infected condition, with, in many instances,
serious consequences to others. One case which occurred in
Tooting was, in my opinion, directly responsible for about 30
other cases, and the parent was summoned for wilful exposure of
his child. The magistrate, however, did not convict as he was of
opinion that the parent did not wilfully expose the child, although
he stated that great carelessness had been shown, and that the
Sanitary Authorities were quite right in having issued a summons.
In Wandsworth this disease was slightly less prevalent than
in the previous year, the rate per 1,000 of population being 3.56,
compared with 37.
The maximum number of cases was notified in October and
the minimum in February.