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10
Whooping Cough.
The number of deaths was 48, the average number for the
preceding 10 years being 48.2. The Death rate was .81 per
1000 of the population, that for the whole of London being
.43 per 1000.
Diarrhæa.
The number of deaths from Diarrhoea—which includes
Epidcmic and Zymotic Enteritis, Dysentery and Dysenteric
diarrhoea, Cholera and Choleraic diarrhoea, was 57. The
annual average for the previous 10 years was 50. The Death
rate was .96 per 1000 of the population, that for the whole of
London being .78 per 1000.
Measles.
The number of deaths was 75, the annual average for the
previous 10 years being 56. The Death rate was 1.2 per 1000
of the population, that for the whole of London being .42
per 1000.
The question whether Measles should be made a notifiable
disease is a difficult problem. It is more difficult in London
than in Provincial towns where Notification has been tried, and
in a few instances given up. To schedule it in London and
enforce isolation and removal to Fever Hospitals would entail
such a large expenditure, especially in increased Hospital accommodation,
that one ought to be perfectly satisfied of the
ultimate value before recommending such a course. The
arguments in its favour are that Measles is a preventible
disease, and that it caused last year in our district alone, 75
deaths, and that the other deaths from notifiable diseases numbered
48 only. On the other hand, 70 of these were children
under 2 years of age, and 29 were under 1 year of age; whereas
of the 11 deaths from Scarlet Fever, 1 only was under a
twelvemonth old, 7 were between 2 and 5 years of age, and 3
were over 5 years of age. It would be very difficult to remove
children to Hospital, under 2 years of age; and under the age