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I he prevalence of measles was mainly confined to the spring
months (March—May) during which 27 of the 31 deaths occurred
The number of deaths in proportion to the number of cases ranked
about the average
Twenty-nine out of the 31 deaths occurred in small houses This
is approximately the same proportion as was rrecorded in 1909
SCARLET FEVER
(See Tables III, IV and VI)
Seven hundred and fifty-nine cases were notified, of which 7
ended fatally The number of cases slightly exceeded those of 1909,
in which year the disease was more prevalent than in any of the
preceding years The mortality was less than 1 per cent The
numbers were high in all the wards, with the exception of Upper
Norwood, but the chief sufferers were the West and North Wards,
During 1910 South Norwood Ward was more fortunate than in the pre
vious three years, the incidence of the disease being relatively light
The case incidence was highest in the last week of September and the
first week in October, This was due to an outbreak at one of the
schools, ended by the closure of the school
RETURN CASES OF SCARLET FEVER
In 1910 the number of patients discharged from isolation who
subsequently proved infectious was exceptionally large In no less
than 52 instances secondary cases, to the number of 70 in all, arose
in homes to which patients had been discharged from hospital This
problem has been discussed in detail in several previous reports It
must not be taken for granted that the discharged patients were in all
cases the cause of renewed infection In many cases this was not so
Special attention should also be drawn to the long interval that elapsed
between the discharge of the patient and the occurrence of the subsequent
case It is the chronicity of infection both in the actual patients
and, in my opinion, in their relatives that makes the control of scarle
fever so very difficult,