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34
Scarlet Fever or Scarlatina
Scarlet Fever was prevalent throughout the year, with a
minimum incidence in February and March, and a maximum
in June. No cases were notified as having occurred in Whetstone,
but there was scarcely any difference in the number of
notifications (relative to population) received from each of the
other sub-districts, the incidence in West Finchley was only
slightly less than in either North or East Finchley.
In a chart indicating the weekly average number of notifications
of Scarlet Fever received during the sixteen years 18901905,
the lowest point in the curve corresponds to the last week
in March. From the end of March the curve rises until the
highest point is reached in the first week in October, but
between these points there is a well-marked rise above the
mean lasting from June to July, followed by a considerable
fall in the first week of August. This seasonal incidence curve
in its main features corresponds with that of London (1861
1900), but the August fall is not shown on the London chart,
and there are some other minor differences.
The Finchley charts for many of these sixteen years
individually show marked divergence from the average, and
it is quite impossible to say that at any particular period of
the year there will be many or few cases, the most one can say
is that Scarlet Fever is generally most prevalent in the
Autumn, and that epidemics in the Spring are comparatively
rare.
The 128 cases notified during 1906 represented infection
in 98 houses. The number of notifications shows an increase
on the previous year, and is slightly in excess of the average
for the ten years 1896—1905, i.e., 4.1 cases per 1,000 of population
compared with 3.7.