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286
108 cases of typhoid fever, against 109 in the previous
year, of which 27 occurred in the first quarter and 81 in the
last 3 quarters ; and 15 cases of puerperal fever, against 9
in the previous year, 2 in the first quarter and 13 in the last
three quarters. Two cases were returned as relapsing or
continued fever.
The total number of cases notified was 2,307 against
1,212 in the previous year, of which 2,066 were notified
during the last 9 months. This increase has been due
partly to the increase in the notifications of small-pox,
diphtheria and erysipelas, but mainly to the prevalence of
scarlet fever during the last 9 months of the year. This
prevalence of scarlet fever has not been limited to our own
Parish, but has been general throughout London, and has
been regarded as a proof of a serious epidemic prevalence
of the disease. There is no doubt that the mortality from
scarlet fever showed a considerable increase as compared
with the mortality during the last few years, but still the
increase in the number of deaths was relatively small, and
it has been assumed that the epidemic, though wide-spread
and continuous, was one of no great severity. But, on the
other hand, it is to be observed that until notification was
made compulsory, we had no trustworthy evidence, beyond
the mortality returns, of what the actual prevalence of scarlet
fever really was ; and considering that the great majority of
persons take the disease once, and that London has an
enormous population, and that there is always a considerable
pe rcentage of persons who have not yet been attacked and
are susceptible, it seems probable that further experience
will reveal to us that there is always much more scarlet
fever in our midst than we have been apt to suppose, and