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In 184 of the cases the patients were attending school and in 154 they were at
school within a week of being certified as having the disease. In some instances
the children were attending whilst suffering from diphtheria, the nature of the illness
not being recognised. In 163 other cases, in which the patients were not schoolgoing
children, there were children in the house invaded who were. In 15 instances
the histories showed the presence of cases of "sore throat" amongst the inmates
of the houses in which the patients were resident, and in 16 instances there was
evidence pointing to infection from previous cases in the Borough. In 263 instances
the houses were occupied by members of more than one family, in 71 by single families
and in 34 the cases occurred in artisan's dwellings of the block type. In 227 the
sanitary condition of the dwellings was satisfactory, in 43 fairly so, and in 98 it was
unsatisfactory.
The cases certified as diphtheria in the Metropolis numbered 13,630, being at
the rate of 2.9 per 1,000 population. The deaths numbered 538, the death-rate
being 0.12 per 1,000 and the case mortality 3.9 per cent.
ENTERIC FEVER.
Six cases were certified, one of which proved not to be as certified, and one was
a case of paratyphoid B. about which nothing was ascertained throwing light upon
the source of infection. With regard to the others, one was in all probability
connected with certain cases which occurred in the Queen's Hospital in the early
part of the year; so far as the rest were concerned, nothing was ascertained throwing
light upon the source of infection. One case proved fatal; Widal's reaction was
positive and typhoid ulceration was found post mortem.
The cases certified in London numbered 312, being at the rate of 0.06 per 1,000
population. The deaths numbered 28, the death rate being 0.01 per 1,000 and the
case mortality 9 per cent.
ERYSIPELAS.
The cases certified as erysipelas numbered 52, with three deaths.