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little consolation to know that these two diseases have been somewhat
epidemic throughout London during this year, and that the
prevalence of east and north-east winds in all probability has had a
good deal to do with their fatality during the past 4 weeks. Whether
the fatality is the resultant of the inherent malignancy of the disease,
or of indifference on the part of the parents during the initial stage,
and careless or improper treatment both as regards medicine and
nursing, or of the inclemency of the winds, we cannot shut our eyes
to the knowledge that both these diseases spread rapidly by infection
amongst infants and young children, and we, a Sanitary Authority,
are literally powerless to check it. Years ago, during similar
epidemics, I carried out in fatal cases of measles, disinfection as after
scarlet fever, &c., but I was not at all satisfied with the results. I
cannot too strongly again express the opinion that we must one day
have notification and hospital accommodation for measles."
Once again the fact has to be recorded that two-thirds of the total
number of infectious diseases notified during the year related to
SCARLET
FEVER.
scarlet fever. Generally speaking these notifications
were spread pretty equally over the whole of the year,
autumnal increase, however, not being observed. The
highest number occurring in any one week was in the 3rd week, when
there were 16. The highest number in 1895 was 20, in the 46th
week. In two weeks, the 19th and 26th in the year, there were no
notifications of this disease, as against three weeks in the preceding
year, namely the 13th, 16th and 18th. There were considerably
fewer notifications than in the preceding year, and there was one
less death, namely 7, as against 8. The annual death-rate was 0.1,
as against 0.19 per thousand for 1895 and 0.18 for 1894.
Scarlet fever occupies again the first place both in London generally
and in the Eastern Districts in regard to notification. In London
there were 25,647 cases, as against 19,757 for the preceding year,
with 940 deaths as against 829. The notifications and deaths in the
Eastern Sanitary Districts were respectively as follows:—Shoreditch,
708, 39; Bethnal Green, 1257, 35; Whitechapel, 638 20; St.