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23
the decennial average corrected for growth of population. Of the
Kensington deaths 15 belong to the Town sub-district, and 3 only
to Brompton. Seven of the deaths took place in hospitals, to which
87 out of 202 recorded cases were removed for treatment. Of the
202 recorded cases 75 only belonged to North Kensington, i.e., the
part of the parish north of the Uxbridge Road, and 127 to South
Kensington, i.e., the remainder of the parish south of the Uxbridge
Road. The recorded cases in 1882 and 1883 were 319 and 231
respectively. In 1883 the cases in North and South Kensington
were 154 and 77. In numerous instances the occurrence of the
disease was concealed until recovery had taken place, when the
cases were reported in order to secure gratuitous disinfection of the
sick rooms and their contents, and in many cases when the existence
of the disease became known at an early period, we were unable
to persuade parents to consent to the removal of their children to
hospital. Occasionally, when it was too late, the refusal came to
be regretted. A certain number of patients were, to all appearance,
well isolated at home, and the removal of them to hospital was
deemed unnecessary, but proofs were not wanting that, even when
the patients had what might be fairly described as "proper lodging
and accommodation," due care could not have been taken to
prevent the spread of the disease, unless it be the fact that na
amount of care suffices to prevent it from spreading when once it has
found admittance into a family of susceptible persons. In not a
few instances, when removal was obviously necessary to security,
the greatest difficulty was experienced in obtaining the parents'
consent, but in no case was recourse had to the compulsory powers
of removal, such as they are, which the Sanitary Act of 1866
confers.
It need hardly be said that the cases generally were of children,
usually of school-age, and 87 of the sufferers had been going to
school up to the time of the attack. Every effort was made, by
co-operation with school teachers, School Board "visitors,"etc., to
prevent the disease from spreading, and no child was knowingly
allowed to go to school from an infected house. The existence of
the disease was revealed occasionally by the registration of a death,