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14
40 belonged to the Mile End District, or at the rate of .34 per
1,000 of the population.
39 belonged to the Whitechapel District, or at the rate of .48 per
1,000 of the population.
The death-rate for the whole Borough was .5 per 1,000 of the population.
The death-rate for the whole of London was .38 per 1,000.
Though the above deaths are included under Measles, very few children really
die from the disease itself, they actually succumb to complications, such as
Broncho-Pneumonia. A child suffering from Measles is very liable to
Pneumonia unless carefully nursed. The want of such care, and failure of
the parents to appreciate the seriousness of the disease, render it the most
fatal of all children's diseases. There has been no diminution in the number
of deaths from Measles in the Borough during recent years, as is shown in
the following table:—
In 1901 the number of deaths from Measles was 155
1902 158
1903 162
1904 176
1905 151
1906 171
1907 155
Scarlet Fever.
2,847 cases of Scarlet Fever were notified, of which 2,771 were removed
to the various Fever Hospitals.
349 occurred in the Limehouse District with 11 deaths.
647 occurred in the St. George's District with 12 deaths.
1,131 occurred in the Mile End District with 43 deaths.
720 occurred in the Whitechapel District with 17 deaths.
The death-rate for the whole Borough was .26 per 1,000 of the population,
while that for the whole of London was .14 per 1,000.
The epidemic that occurred during the year was responsible for 1,724
cases more than in the previous year, though there were only 45 more deaths.
This shows that the epidemic was of a mild type, the case mortality being
only 2.9 per cent. The mildness of the epidemic was partly responsible for
the spread of the disease. In some instances, the children were hardly ill
at all, with the result that no medical man was called to see the patient,
and no precautions were taken to prevent its spreading.