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maintained with occasional remissions until the second week in
December, when a sudden decline set in, which continued to the
end of the year—the total period of the special incidence being eight
weeks. For the first few weeks of this period there was nothing
pointing to any particular source for the rise; but as cases were
enquired into, it became evident that a disproportionate number
resided within a tolerably limited area; and that many attended a
particular Board School in that district. At the period alluded to
there was a special incidence of Diphtheria in that part of Hackney
known as Clapton Park, and amongst the scholars of the Daubeney
Boad Board School. The average attendance at this school was
1,176, and most of the scholars lived in the neighbourhood, so that
at first the occurrence of cases amongst its scholars did not excite
suspicion; but as the cases multiplied, it became necessary to
ascertain whether school influence was at work in the spread of the
disease. I may say at this point that the Head Master and Mistress
of the school most cordially assisted me in this enquiry. Having
obtained a list of the absent scholars and the classes to which they
belonged, it was immediately apparent that the majority of the cases
had occurred amongst the infants attending the school.
For the purposes of calculation it was necessary to obtain the
population of the particular area in question. Having obtained by
means of a spot map the locality of the greatest incidence, I found
it corresponded closely with the enumeration districts numbered 32,
33, 34, 35, 36, and 40, the boundaries of which are, on the North,
Millfields Road; on the West, Chatsworth Road and Brooksby's
Walk; on the South, High Street Homerton and Marsh Hill; and
on the East, the Hackney Marsh.
In this special area are situated two large Board Schools,
Daubeney Road and Glyn Road Schools, and on the boundaries
two others, Rushmore Road and Sidney Road Schools. There
were a few smaller schools in the area, but none of their
scholars were affected during the period under discussion.
The population of this area at the census of March, 1896, was
found to be 16,754; that for the remainder of Hackney, 196,299.