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42
REPORT OF THE STATISTICAL COMMITTEE.
The Report of the Statistical Committee opens with a
reference to the Notification of Infectious Disease and a
return of cases notified, as given on page 43. The
Committee state that cases are sometimes certified by more
than one medical practitioner, but that in the return only
one certificate is included for each case. The return of notifications
in my thirteenth four-weekly report for 1890 comprised
30,083 cases, or 288 more than the official return : 281 of these
cases in excess represent duplicate certificates, and 7 were cases
of " relapsing fever," of which I had taken no note in my
monthly summaries. Many cases of infectious disease treated
in general hospitals were not notified, the Local Government
Board holding that the Act exempts the Medical Officers of
these institutions from the duty of notifying. Provision is made
in the Public Health (London) Bill now passing through
Parliament for abolishing this exemption. In the united
parishes of St. Margaret and St. John, Westminster, not all of
the cases notified were reported to the Board, and in St. Mary,
Newington, only those cases were notified which were removed
to the Managers' hospitals. One way and another, therefore,
many cases escaped notification. After the present year the
returns will be practically complete. Prefixed to the Report
there are maps spotted to show the cases of disease notified in
1890. The scarlet fever cases were so numerous that it was
found impossible to include them in one map. Four quarterly
maps therefore are given, and they are " highly instructive, as
showing the gradual progress and extension of the disease from
isolated cases occurring in the earlier months of the year; "
when usually this disease is at lowest ebb, the admissions to
hospitals in 19 years having fallen to the minimum five times
in February, four times in March, five times in April, three
times in June, once in September, and once in December (1888).