View report page

16
Remarks on Infectious Diseases.
Smallpox—(See Table IT.)
Not a single case was notified in the United Parishes during
the year 1897.
Scarlet Fever.
63 cases were notified in St. Margaret's parish and 126 in
St. John's, making a total of 189 (compared with 221 notified
in 1896). 14 deaths occurred altogether compared with 10
last year.
A noticeable feature in the Scarlet Fever returns of the
Asylums Board Hospitals is the decreasing percentage of the
mortality amongst scarlet fever patients.
Several cases occurred in close proximity in children attending
St. Mary's Schools, Hide-place, in July, but by keeping
a strict watch on and examining the children attending the
school from the houses in which the cases occurred, the
number of cases speedily decreased.
During the month of September several cases of Scarlet
Fever occurred in the married soldiers' quarters, at Victoria
House, Francis-street, and Wellington House, James-street.
These premises being Government property are out of the
jurisdiction of the local sanitary authority, but I communicated
with the military doctor in attendance at these buildings and
ascertained that he had caused the Wellington Barracks School
to be closed, and prohibited the use of a common wash-house,
with a view, if possible, to prevent contact of the occupants of
these two institutions. The disinfection was carried out by
the military authorities. It was partly owing to these cases
that the Vestry passed the resolution which will be found in
this report headed ''Public Health Act and Government
Property." The soldiers and their wives were in the habit of
going to a neighbouring hostelry for refreshment where two
cases subsequently occurred, and in one case, viz., that of a
barman, the Vestry found it necessary to prosecute him for
travelling by rail to Norfolk when the disease was upon him
and when he knew that he was suffering from an infectious
disease. He was subsequently fined for so doing.
Return Cases of Scarlet Fever.
Dr. Klein has commenced a series of investigations with
regard to a bacteriological study of the desquamating skin of