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Committee's report was published, and which, therefore, need not
be repeated here. It is stated that when the year began there
were only 853 patients remaining under treatment in the several
hospitals. The number continuing to decrease, the Northern Hospital
was closed on the '24th March. In the latter part of July the
usual increase in the number of admissions commenced, and by the
22nd August the total number of patients under treatment had
attained 1000. The increase continuing, the Managers
re-opened in succession the Northern Hospital, and the
South-Western Hospital which had bean closed since April,
1888. "The total mortality in the hospitals was 13.87 per cent.,
including cases dying within 48 hours after admission, and those
dying from concurrent maladies" : in scarlet fever case it was
8.85 per cent.; in cases of diphtheria, 40'74 percent.; in enteric
fever, 15.15 per cent. Twenty-three cases of typhus fever were
admitted; six died=31.57 percent. "The monthly admissions
of all cases were lowest in June and highest in October." A
large part of the Committee's report consists of tables containing
valuable information, but insusceptible of treatment by
abstract. Scarlet fever and diphtheria cases were admitted from
every parish and Union in the Metropolis. In both diseases the
mortality is highest under five years of age : in scarlet fever, 19.74
percent., against 10.44 at all ages, calculated on upwards of
36,000 cases admitted into the Board's Hospitals since 1870: in
diphtheria, 55'7 percent, against 39.0 percent, on 821 cases
admitted to the end of the year 1889. Males would appear to
be considerably more liable to both diseases—judging from tbe
numbers of cases admitted—and females to have a considerably
lower rate of mortality, the difference in their favour being 1*7 per
cent, in scarlet fever and nearly 2-5 in diphtheria. The experience
derived from 6462 cases of enteric fever, shows a somewhat larger
proportion of males admitted, but a percentage mortality of
nearly 1'6 in favour of the stronger sex, the total percentage
mortality being 17'6 (males 16.86, females 18'44), and the
mortality under five being about 14 percent., at which age,
however, only 179 cases were admitted. It is stated that,