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43
SECTION VI.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
I. Notifiable Diseases—
It is pleasing to report that during the past year the
incidence^ of the more common infectious diseases has once
again been extremely low. The most important factor contributory
to this is probably that the year did not happen to
be a " period of epidemic." A further factor is also the
relative number of susceptible to immune people in the
district. This does not appear to differ in Chiswick from that
generally found, and the seasonable activity and the periods
of epidemics are those that prevail generally. Reference to
Table " G," which sets out a record of all notifiable diseases
which have occurred in the district during the past ten years,
shews that while 1921 was a real epidemic period, the numbers
have since shewn on the whole a general decline.
1. Scarlet Fever.—Apart from the "epidemic periods"
above referred to, I am of opinion that the following factors
have considerable bearing on the spread of infection:—
(ia) From my own observations, infection appears to be
spread from one person to another. Personally, I have
had no direct evidence of infection received from
articles, such as clothing, bedding, books, etc., and it
has been the practice in this district for some years to
rely entirely on the disinfection of such articles in the
home of the patient rather than to remove same for
steam disinfection or otherwise. It is, however, on
record that an outbreak of this disease in the district,
as far back as 1911, was found to be directly attributable
to the milk supplied from a farm at which the
cowman was suffering from Scarlet Fever in the
desquamating stage