View report page

6
Measles.
This disease was existent during the summer and
autumn. In June there were some 40 children not
attending St. Mark's Schools on this account, and in the
Christ Church district the opening of the Schools after the
summer holidays, which should have come to an end on
the 24th August, was delayed for nearly three weeks, till
11th September. At St. Matthew's there was a severe
outbreak, and it was necessary to close the infant school
from November 13th, and the mixed school from November
30th, to December 14th. In all there were five deaths
registered as due to this disease, and its sequelae, bronchitis,
pneumonia, etc.
Diphtheria.
There were six cases of this disease in Surbiton, but
none of them were removed to the Isolation Hospital.
The first case was early in January, on Surbiton Hill, and
the cause could not be traced. Then in February, a
month afterwards, two cases occurred within a few days
of each other, in Cleaveland Road, in two separate houses.
There may have been some common origin for these, but it
could not be ascertained. After this there was no case
until August; but that was so instructive in some particulars,
that I mention it in detail. A child of eight years
old had just returned from a visit to a relative, a medical
man in practice in the north of England, when he ailed
with a sore throat and constitutional symptoms. An
examination could not quite satisfactorily determine
whether or no it was diphtheria; so a specimen from the
throat was sent to the Laboratory of the Clinical Research
Association for bacteriological culture and examination.
In a short time a reply was received to the effect that the
specific organism was present. The anti-toxin treatment
was immediately applied, and after an illness characterised
by one or two relapses, the child eventually made a good
recovery. During this period it was quite incidentally