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14
RETURN CASES OF SCARLET FEVER.
This subject has been occupying a great deal of
attention in all Fever hospitals for a long time past.
In 1898 a special enquiry was instituted by the
Metropolitan Asylums Board, and entrusted to Professor
Simpson, of King's College. I have recently,
through the courtesy of the Secretary, received a copy
of his report. In my report for 1898 I referred to
this subject, and quoted the opinions of Drs. Goodall
and Washbourn, expressed in their work on Infectious
Diseases, that these cases generally occurred on the
3rd or 4th day, but were "never more than a week."
Dr. Simpson (without expressing any opinion as to
the time), for the purposes of his report, has considered
"all cases occurring in a house within a month of the
return home of a patient" as return cases, and all such
have been enquired into. After remarking on the
difficulty of obtaining accurate information, he says,
"It is necessary only to observe what goes on among
children in crowded localities, to become cognizant of
the variety of ways by which infection may be spread,
if one of them happens to be infective. They play
together, they kiss one another, place round
each other their scarves, handkerchiefs and jackets,