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corresponding figure was 2,698. There were very few cases
of diphtheria (152) notified, and the number of cases of scarlet
fever (334) was much below the average of the last twenty
years. 381 notifications of tuberculosis were received, 311
of which related to new cases. This figure is practically the
same as the corresponding figure of last year. It is estimated
that there are 2,289 notified cases of tuberculosis living in
the district, and that 929 of these persons are suffering from
active tuberculosis. An essential element in dealing with
this disease is the formation of a Care Committee whose
function is to deal with the social and economic side of the
family, while the sanitary authority is looking after the
preventive and medical side. In April the Council resolved
to form such a Committee, and this Committee, having
received the approval of the Ministry of Health and the
London County Council, started work in November. A
development of an organised scheme of care work can confidently
be looked forward to in 1924.
Maternity and Child Welfare work continues to develop,
and the Council can look with pleasure and satisfaction on
the great fall which has taken place in infant mortality
within the past twenty years. Twenty years ago an infantile
mortality rate of 43 did not appear to be within the
realm of practicability, but the solid advance in this work
during the last decade leads one to look forward to an even
lower infantile mortality rate in the future, and particularly
so in the first month of life. The attendance at the centres,
26,706, constitutes a record, and shews an increase of 2,765
over that of the previous year. There is some evidence
that children aged 1-5 years are being brought to the centres
in increasing numbers year by year. The result of an enquiry
into the rate of growth of Woolwich children in the