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6
The District was entirely free from this disease during two
months of the year only, viz: in May and July. Up to the beginning
of November, comparatively few cases were reported, one in
each of the months of January, March, April, June, August and
September, whilst February contributed 4 cases and October 6.
The latter month marked the beginning of a somewhat serious and
obstinate epidemic, November and December producing 22 and 25
cases of Diphtheria respectively, i.e. 47 cases out of the 63 reported
during the year. The epidemic was chiefly confined to the parish
of Orpington, where 25 cases occurred during the last 3 months of
the year, and the neighbouring parishes of St. Mary Cray and St.
Paul's Cray, added 5 each during the same period.
Numerous investigations were made during the epidemic, in
order to discover the cause. The sanitary arrangements of the
Board Schools were overhauled at the commencement of the epidemic,
but no defects could be discovered, and everything pointed
to the disease being spread by personal infection. Both the Board
Schools were closed from November 5th, to the beginning of the
Christmas holidays, and thoroughly cleansed and disinfected. The
milk supply was also enquired into, and found to be above suspicion.
The majority of the cases were removed to the Bromley and
Beckenham Joint Hospital, some within a few hours of the receipt
of the notification, and the homes were disinfected as speedily as
practicable.
During the year 14 cases of Diphtheria ended fatally, giving a
Diphtheria death-rate of 0.4 per 1,000 persons living, and a casemortality
of 22.2 percent. Nine cases ended fatally at the Bromley
and Beckenham Joint Hospital, and one at the Dartford Isolation
Hospital,.where a case had been removed in error, the house being
near the boundary line of the two Districts.