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houses there were two, and in seven houses one such
secondary case besides the primary one.
Of the 40 primary cases remaining, after deduction
of the 11 secondary cases, 13 occurred in a special outburst
of the disease which took place in September and October,
towards the close of an epidemic of measles with which the
district had been visited; of these 13 cases, six were in the
Tanners End portion of the district, and four out of the six
were in the same row of houses, viz.: the south side of
Ashwell Grove, and the corner house of this side, facing
Bull Lane, a volatile test introduced into the drain of one
of these houses was perceived by all the others in the row,
showing the drainage to have at least defective joints, and
it is worthy of remark that no result was obtained from a
volatile test introduced in a similar manner into the house
drains on the opposite side of the road and that no case was
notified there. 1 think that, however the contagion was
introduced into these houses it certainly was to some
extent spread by way of the drains.
The other two cases of this group of six, were in
houses not in direct connection with these but in the
vicinity; one of the children had been to a mission room
used by residents in this portion of the district, the other
had suffered in the measles outbreak and occurred in
August, but it is included in this group, as although no
direct connection could be traced, it seems not improbable
that a mild and unrecognised case or cases may have
occurred in the meantime.
Of the other seven primary cases constituting this
outburst, two were in Claremont Street, one in Linton
Cottages, one in Fairfield Road, one in Lower Fore Street,
one in Town Road, and one in Bounces Road; these
coincided in point of time with the others, but no connection
could be traced between them, nor was there any
one factor common to them all. Four secondary cases
occurred in this outburst, making a total of 17 cases. The
disease was in this outburst of a most virulent type, 11 out
of the 17 cases having been fatal.
I submitted a detailed report of these cases at the
time of their occurrence; to them should be added one
death not notified as diphtheria and not certified as such,
the circumstances attending which were set forth in detail
in the said report.
Two other cases occurred in the Tanners End
portion of the district earlier in the year; both were
probably contracted in the course of school attendance, and
both were fatal.