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Medical Superintendent, Mr. R. D. R. Sweeting. No less
than 1097 cases were admitted, compared with 871 in 1888;
there were 871 discharges and 138 deaths, leaving 195 still
under treatment at the end of the year. "The bulk of the
admissions, 905, or 82 per cent., were scarlet fever, the rest
being made up of 130 diphtheria, 34 enteric and 28 ' other
diseases." Of the discharges, 382, or 44 per cent., were transferred
as convalescents to the Northern Hospital. "The total
percentage fatality was 13.15, made up of a fatality from scarlet
fever of 8'86, from diphtheria of 35'82, from enteric fever of
15.62, and from 'other diseases' of 17.85. These rates compare
favourably with those of 1888, and have the advantage,
moreover, of being based upon even larger numbers. Most of
the scarlet and enteric fever cases were admitted in the fourth
quarter of the year, most of the diphtheria in the third, whilst
the total number of deaths of all cases was also greatest in this
quarter. Fulham, Kensington and St. George's contributed in
that order the largest number of scarlet-fever cases; whilst from
Kensington alone came 89, or 68 percent, of the total diphtheria
admissions. Scarlet fever was " more fatal to males than to
females, and more fatal to children of both sexes under five than
to those over that age." The largest number of admissions was
between five to ten years of age. There were no deaths above
fifteen years. As to diphtheria, "about half as many females
again as males were admitted, and their total fatality was
one-fourth higher. The ages one to three were especially
fatal, no less than 17 out of 26 children at these ages having
succumbed—a case-mortality of 65 per cent. Enteric fever
was much more fatal to males than to females, in the proportion
of 6 to 1,"but only 34 cases were admitted. Reference is madeto
27 cases of scarlet fever which" developed symptoms of
diphtheritic throat-illness, of whom 18 died." Mr. Sweeting
does not" pretend to determine whether the increase of this
complication in 1889 was due to the continued presence of
diphtheria" in the hospital or not. The need for improved
sleeping and sitting-room accommodation for the nursing staff