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enquiry that more than half the houses which sent children to
the village school were infected, and the school was accordingly
closed for 4 weeks in that month. Two deaths occurred during
the epidemic, which it should be mentioned spread from the
neighbouring districts of Purley and Smithambottom, where
there had been some prevalence at the close of the preceding
year.
Besides these parishes, solitary deaths also occurred in
Sanderstead, Wallington, Smithambottom, and Merton.
Diarrhoea.—Nineteen deaths were recorded as due to
diarrhoea in 1896, as compared with an annual average of 13
during the previous 10 years. With one exception all these
deaths took place in June, July, August, and September, the
summer months, when there is generally a heavy loss of infant
life from this disorder. All the deaths except one occurred in
infants under 2 years of age, while 12 were in infants less than
12 months old, the average age of the latter being 44 months.
The majority of the deaths—15—occurred in Mitcham, while
2 occurred in Merton, and 1 each in Beddington and Wallington.
Influenza.—The information about this disease is very
unreliable. There seem to have been several cases in the early
part of the year, and towards its close it again made its
appearance. Only 2 deaths were registered as attributable to it,
1 in January at an institution and 1 in November in Mitcham.
VI.—PREVENTIVE MEASURES.
During the first half of the year the District remained without
any Isolation Hospital for the infectious sick, except for
the few who were in receipt of parish relief, but in July the
Council made an arrangement with the Croydon Corporation to
admit cases of scarlet fever, diphtheria, and typhoid fever into
their Hospital at Waddon, pending the erection of the proposed
Hospital for this District at Beddington Corner. The payment