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12
defective, and in the remainder the source of infection was not
traced. In four of the cases which occurred within a short
time of one another, the milk supply came from a common
source, and accordingly, samples were taken of the milk and
sent up to the Clinical Research Association for examination
and report, with negative results.
On three separate occasions water was taken from the
Kent Company's mains and submitted to bacteriological
examination, but in each case the water was found to be of
more than usual purity.
DIARRHœA.
37 deaths occurred from this disease. One was in an
adult, five were in children between one and five years of age,
and the remainder, 31 in number, occurred in infants under
one year of age.
This number is more than double our average and is
the chief cause of our zymotic death rate reaching the high
figure of 2-I5.
33 of these deaths occurred between August nth and
September 23rd, when we had a spell of very hot and dry
weather, which was favourable to fermentative changes in
food.
In my last report I emphasised the importance of getting
the public to recognise the fact that these deaths were due
entirely to preventible causes.
VACCINATION.
During the last five years Vaccination, which has never
been very strictly enforced in this district, has been more and