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which 519 cases of measles and 204 cases of whooping cough
occurred in children under 5 years of age. The correctness of
the diagnosis is, of course, liable to error in many cases, but
such liability would still remain under a system of notification
for the reason already stated. The number of deaths certified
as due to these causes were 12 and 23 respectively, astonishingly
small numbers when compared with those of a severer epidemic
year, such as 1909, when in a much smaller population the
deaths from measles and whooping cough were 217 and 184
respectively.
Change of type in disease may account partly for a
diminished death-rate, but education also is a potent factor not
to be forgotten and that the Public Health Department is an
educational force which never sleeps may be exemplified in the
case of these juvenile complaints. It is impossible to visit
every case of illness that is not under the care of a medical
practitioner, but the majority of measles, whooping cough,
chicken pox and other diseases coming to the knowledge of the
Department have for years been visited by the Women Sanitary
Inspectors, who, by distributing special leaflets accompanied by
friendly advice to those who often are woefully in need of it,
must be materially aiding the conquest of disease, while of
recent years the visitation of infants and children under 5 years
by the Health Visitors under the Maternity and Child Welfare
Scheme by the same means affords justification for the statement
that disease is being prevented.

Several of these cases were admitted to the Plaistow Hospital
for Infectious Disease, as will be seen in Dr. MacIntyre's
report on the work of the Hospitals.