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45
The experience of New York forms a powerful arguineht for
the adoption of some form of immunization in an attempt to
stamp out the disease.
The age incidence of the various diseases, the ward distribution,
and their prevalence in the last 10 years, will be found in
tables at the end of the report.
Measles.
There was no death from Measles in 1925, but in the autumn,
an extensive epidemic occurred, and early in the year 1926 some
deaths occurred. One of the most remarkable phenomena since the
War has been the low mortality from most of the common infectious
diseases, and Measles has shared in the general improvement.
The extent of this improvement may be gauged from the
following table which gives the total number of deaths from
Measles in this district in periods of 8 years during the last 40 years.
1918-1925 37 deaths
1910-1917 167 „
1902-1909 176 „
1894-1901 69 „
1886-1893 82 „
It is difficult to decide to what this improvement is due.
It is certainly not due to any control which we have obtained
over the disease. Measles still remains the commonest and possibly
the most complicated of the eruptive infections. It is so common
that, after a trial, compulsory notification was abandoned. The
cost was great and inquiry into each case at the height of an
epidemic was almost impossible.
During the recent epidemic, we were able to nurse in the
Hospital a small proportion of the cases; these were admitted
on the application of the doctor in attendance. But it would
be impossible to nurse all the cases in hospital. There are no beds
available for the treatment of all the cases. Our hospital would
be swamped, and all other diseases would have to be excluded.
In spite of these considerations, a most remarkable fall in the
number of deaths from Measles has recently occurred, as the ;
above figures show, and I might suggest some factors which have
operated in this diminished mortality.