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micro-organism of diphtheria was present. The cases were distributed as follows : two,
one of diphtheria and one of "sore throat" at houses in St. John's Road ; one of
dipththeria at a house in Mintern Street; two, one of "sore throat" and one of
diphtheria at a house in Buckland Street; six, all of diphtheria, at a house in the New
North Road; one case of "sore throat" at a house in Balmes Road, Hackney,
and three cases of diphtheria at a house in Bevenden Street. Of the six cases at the
house in the New North Road, three were of children attending the infants' department
and the other three were adults who were probably infected through contact with
the children. Of the three cases in Bevenden Street, two doubtless resulted through
infection from a child, a member of the family, who was attending the infants,
department and had been home from school for several days suffering with what was
at first regarded as a " sore throat," but which was afterwards found bacteriologically
to be diphtheria.
The sanitary conditions of the invaded houses were generally satisfactory. The
drainage arrangements, however, of the house in the New North Road were found to
be in a very defective condition, and there may possibly have been some connection
between this fact and the heavy incidence of the disease upon the persons dwelling in
the house. The sanitary arrangements at the school were inspected and tested, but
so far as could bs ascertained, they were satisfactory.
The indications were that infection from person to person, direct and indirect, was
the chief factor in the dissimination of the disease, and that the infants' department of
the school was the principal medium of transferring the infection from family to
family, so, acting under my advice, the school authorities closed the infants' department
on December 10th, with the result that the cases at once ceased.
ENTERIC OR TYPHOID FEVER.