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23; Typhoid from 35 to 12; and Pneumonia from 1T9 to 13U.
Pneumonia still remains the "Captain of the Men of Death,"
and it is unfortunate that there are not greater powers to deal
with it, though the discovery of the Drug M. & B. 693 may exert
an influence towards betterment and prove to be a valuable
weapon in the fight against this widespread and fatal illness. It
is, however, too soon yet to do more than hope. The deaths
from Typhoid were all connected with the 1937 outbreak. Only
two cases of Typhoid or Paratyphoid occurred during the year
which had no connection whatever with the outbreak. In one
the source of infection was traced to outside the Borough; in the
other, a case of paratyphoid—no source of infection was found.
Scarlet Fever showed a smaller incidence than in 1937, but
Diphtheria remained much the same, causing 16 deaths as against
18 the previous year. It is unfortunate that relatively little use
is made by parents of the process of immunization, facilities for
which are freely available. In spite of efforts to bring the value of
immunisation before parents only a small proportion avail themselves
of it and Diphtheria continues to break out from time to
time in various schools and districts of the Borough leading to
an avoidable loss of life, incapacity and expense. It is significant
that in those residential institutions, and in one day school,
where immunisation has been accepted and the great majority of
the children immunised, Diphtheria has caused no trouble.
There is still to be recorded any death from Diphtheria in an
immunised person.
The mistaken activities of those who think it their duty to
do all in their power to obstruct the progress of immunisation,
has more to answer for than possibly the exponents of antiimmunisation
are aware. They do not hear the opinions of
parents who have refused immunisation upon such wrong advice
and who subsequently have lost a child from the disease. A
special section dealing with the progress of immunisation in the
Borough is incorporated in that part of the report relating to
infectious diseases. In the Table dealing with the distribution
of school children who have attended the Immunisation Clinic
(he effect of outbreaks of Diphtheria upon the number of
children coming for Immunisation is clearly shown. Unfortunately,
to wait until Diphtheria occurs is too late. The time
for prevention is before, as the development of immunity in a
child takes 2—3 months. Some of the cases of Diphtheria in
children stated to have been immunised arose in those only
partially immunised.