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spinal fever. The number of cases of these diseases certified (Table II Appendix)
was 434, and the number removed to hospital 421, which gives a percentage of 97.0
as compared with 97.7 in 1910, 97 in 1909, 97.3 in 1908, 97.5 in 1907, and 96 in
1906. The percentage for previous years are contained in the report for 1905. As
stated in previous reports, in a densely populated working class district such as
Shoreditch, where the great majority of the population are dwellers in tenements
of less than five rooms, the removal of infectious cases to hospital is the only
efficient way to secure isolation; it is a factor of the utmost importance in
controlling the spread of infection, and it is satisfactory therefore to again have
to report such a high percentage of cases removed to hospital.
RETURN CASES.
Two instances came under observation in which recurrences of the disease
followed the return home of patients who had been treated in hospital. In one
instance the disease was scarlet fever and in the other diphtheria. The facts
were briefly as follows:—
(1) On Angust 8th, Louisa M—, aged 4, was removed to hospital certified
to be suffering from scarlet fever, she returned home on October 6th. A few days
after her return a discharge from her nose appeared together with a " breaking out "
on her face. On October 21st her brother, George M—, aged 7, fell ill and on
October 23rd he was certified and removed to hospital also suffering from scarlet
fever. He last attended school on October 20th. There were no grounds for
believing disinfection was at fault.
(2) Ruby C—, aged 2, was certified to have diphtheria on September 19th,
and was removed to hospital the following day. She returned home on November
23rd, and had a discharge from her nose which lasted until December 1st.
Thomas C—, aged 4, her brother was taken ill with diphtheria on December 3rd
and Arthur C—, aged 2, on December 16th.
SMALL POX.
In February owing to an unrecognised case there was a serious outbreak of
small pox in the Mile End Infirmary. Infection was spread through the medium of
friends of the inmates of the institution with the result that a number of cases
followed in the East End of London, and a few elsewhere in the Metropolis. In
Shoreditch 3 cases occurred which were without doubt connected with the outbreak.
The particulars are briefly as follows: on March 9th information was received that
a girl named Ethel F—, aged 10, residing in D Block, White Cross Place, was
being attended by a medical man for influenza. As intimation had been received
that she had in all probability been exposed to small pox infection in connection
with a case which had occurred in Hackney the medical man was apprised of the