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80
or free where there is inability to pay. The amount supplied
during the year was 152,000 units, at a total cost of £11 8s. 0d.,
which was, with the exception of 18/- recovered from medical
practitioners. At the beginning of the year the Metropolitan
Asylums Board circularised the Metropolitan Medical Officers
of Health stating that they would be prepared to supply
diphtheria antitoxin, free of charge, in any case, necessitous
or otherwise, where admission to the Board's hospitals had to
be refused on the ground of pressure of accommodation.
70. Deaths. The number of deaths due to diphtheria was
25. The deaths and death rate of this disease each year since
1915 are shown in table No. 29.
OPHTHALMIA NEONATORUM, PUERPERAL FEVER AND
EPIDEMIC DIARRHOEA.
71. These diseases are dealt with under the Maternity and
Child Welfare Section of the Report.
PNEUMONIA, MALARIA, DYSENTERY AND TRENCH
FEVER.
72. During the year the following number of cases were
notified:—
Pneumonia 136
Malaria 29
Dysentery 1
Trench Fever -
These diseases are compulsorily notifiable under the Public
Health (Pneumonia, Malaria, Dysentery, etc.) Regulations,
1918.
In the case of Pneumonia, the value of notification without
adequate machinery for dealing further with cases is very