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on in this disease we should not witness such a wide-spread extension
of it nor so great a fatality as has lately been noted in this
parish,—for every child removed in an early stage would be one
additional source of infection safely disposed of. It would be
well if steps were taken to impress on parents and guardians the
importance of not making light of measles and whooping cough,
as there can be no doubt that very many of the fatal complications
are the immediate result of want of care—and of premature or
avoidable exposure at a time when the pulmonary organs are
peculiarly susceptible and prone to inflammatory action. These
observations are well borne out by the prevailing epidemic of
measles, which in the first six months of the year destroyed 103
children. The deaths in the 13 weeks, ended 24th June, were 76, and
of these only 12 were registered as "measles" simply, of the other
deaths 52 being ascribed to chest complications, and the remainder
to a variety of secondary affections. It is noteworthy, also, that
though the deaths were so numerous the disease was not especially
prevalent or concentrated in any particular locality. In four
houses only out of 67 where death took place in the second quarter
of 1876, did a second death occur, and in only three out of a
total of 44 streets where deaths happened were there three deaths in
one street; there being two deaths in each of five other streets, and
one death in each of 34 streets. In Portobello road, which is a
long street, and contains about 400 houses, there were six deaths
in as many houses. It must be obvious that a large number of
children had the disease, probably 1,500 in the three months. It
is a matter of notoriety that epidemics of this kind occur periodically.
Thus in 1873-4 this disease was prevalent, and 148
children died of it and its complications in seven months. Afterwards
in 19 months there were only 37 deaths; and now a fresh crop of
susceptible organisms having come into existence the disease is
again epidemic, with the results above stated. It is somewhat interesting
to note, as showing the probability of the foregoing remarks,
on the danger of exposure to children suffering from measles that
the mortality has been high between the ages of 1 and 2 and
2 and 5; and less in extreme infancy. Crawling and walking
children, in other words those who are able to get outside the
door into the street and into draughts, etc., have suffered more than
those whose tender age demanded maternal care and compelled
stay within the house.
It is worthy of notice that not one fatal case of small-pox
was registered during the year. Nor was there a death from
this cause in 1874, the last death having occurred in January
1873. In the first half of the current year (1876), however,
two deaths have occurred which, with the circumstances attending
them, may as well be referred to at once. The first death,
after an interval of more than three years, occurred at Notting-hillSquare
in February. The deceased was a male, aged 40, and unvaccinated.
The illness, which lasted ten days, was not traced to
the infection which caused it; probably it was contracted from a