View report page

35
6. The School Clinic.—The habit of some head teachers, attendance
officers and others of sending cases of suspected infectious disease to the School
Clinic, instead of referring them to their private medical advisers, is no
doubt maintaining a source of contagion at Pymmes Park, more especially of
mumps and whooping-cough. I have not been allowed to issue a circular letter
to the head teachers drawing their attention to the great danger of this practice.
Note.—There are other matters of a minor character to these mentioned
above, reference to which can be found in my 15 annual reports to this Council.
What will not prevent the spread of infectious disease is the lavish and uncontrolled
use of disinfectants. This is a point to which I have drawn your notice
since 1906.
Smallpox.—A satisfactory feature of the infectious returns for the year
is the absence of smallpox from amongst them; since 1904 the district has
enjoyed a complete immunity from this disease. An epidemic of this dreadful
disease is overdue, and, judging from the returns of the Vaccination Officer,
there were many Edmonton children unprotected from infection and sure to
die if attacked. There were no deaths from chicken-pox.
SCARLET FEVER.
Three hundred and forty-eight cases were notified, giving an attack rate of
4.51 per 1,000 of the population; 619, 86 and 51 were notified in 1919-18-17.
There were 5 deaths, giving a death-rate of 0.06 per 1,000 of the population.
No cases were notified from the North Middlesex Hospital, nor from the
Epileptic Colony. No cases were doubly notified. Secondary cases numbered
46 out of 348. One case was re-notified and sent back to hospital. There
were 7 cases notified, where subsequent observation did not confirm the
diagnosis; they are not included in the above figures.
Return Cases.—See section on "Hospitals."
DIPHTHERIA AND MEMBRANOUS GROUP.
I received notifications of 297 cases during the year, compared with 109,
37 and 20 in 1919-18-17, and they represent an attack rate of 3.85 per thousand
of the population. There were 24 deaths, giving a death-rate of 0.31 per
thousand of the population. One case was doubly notified. There were 43