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12
The four last cases derived their source of infection from one
house where a case had occurred, which was supposed to be only
chicken pox.
No. 5 was removed to the Temporary Scarlet Fever Hospital,
under the impression that it was a case of scarlet fever. The modified
rash which eventually appeared gave rise to many doubts about it being
small-pox, but the occurrence, within a short time, of the confluent
case (No. 6), in the house in which No. 5 resided, confirmed the
diagnosis.
Nos. 7 and 8 were nurses in attendance at this house.
Six of the cases were of a very mild type, but I think that, had
these patients been re-vaccinated within the last seven years, it is
probable that they would have been insusceptible.
Of the two severe cases, it will be seen that one was unvaccinated,
and that the other had no visible marks of vaccination.
SCARLET FEVER.
There were 12 deaths during the year, nine being under five
years of age. This mortality is so slightly in excess of last year's,
that, considering the increased number of notified cases, we may consider
the disease, this year, to have been of a mild type.
There were 621 cases notified, and of these 114 were in public institutions,
leaving 507 as the corrected total. It was particularly
prevalent during the last four months of the year, when 366 cases
were notified. This increase commenced in an outbreak which
became almost epidemic in the Cann Hall Ward. That this disease
should suddenly become so prevalent in one Ward may, in a great
measure, be accounted for by the following instance. A family of six
children were found to be attending different classes at the Cann Hall
Road Board School, whilst desquamating from scarlet fever. Such a
circumstance is likely to arise when the disease is of so mild a type as
to be unrecognized by the parents and not. attended by any doctor,
but it is most likely to cause wide-spread infection, such as we
experienced at that time.
Several instances of a similar nature have, from time to time,
come under my notice, and it is an extremely difficult matter to know
how to prevent such occurrences. It is no use to look for help from
ignorant parents, and legal proceedings against offenders do not
seem to teach others how to diagnose the disease, and so we must
look to our Board School teachers to give us all the help they can by
carefully scrutinising thechildren and promptly notifying any suspicious
cases.