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5
DIPHTHERIA.
Thirty-seven cases were notified during the year and 3 proved
fatal, against 17 in the preceding year and 8 deaths.
Most ot' the cases were extremely mild as will be understood
by the small percentage of deaths, and it is a question whether
many of the cases notified were Diphtheria at all.
At nearly all the houses from which these cases were notified
the drains were found to be very defective and were remedied.
With regard to the fatal cases, the first occurred at 27, High
Street, in June, a boy aged 5 years, the drains were in a
deplorable state and were put in order.
The second case was in July, at 49, The Broadway, a girl aged
9 years. The drains at this house were also very bad and there
was a leakage of sewer gas into the house. New drains were laid.
The third case occurred in October, at No. 67, Nelson Road,
a girl aged 12 years, she was attended by no medical man but
was seen after death by Dr. Brushfield who stated that in his
opinion the girl had died from diphtheria. The drains at this
house were found to be in good order, and there was no evidence
as to how the disease had been contracted.
The bodies of the three fatal cases were removed as soon as
possible to the mortuary, and the rooms from which they were
removed were disinfected without delay.
SCARLET FEVER.
Scarlet Fever has been present during the whole year. The
greater number of cases occurred in the months of July and
October (see table 2). In all 294 cases have been notified of which
166 were treated at the Infection Diseases Hospital, and the
remaining 128 at their own homes. All the cases treated at the
Hospital recovered, but there were three deaths among those
treated in their own homes.
The spread of the disease was doubtless due to dissemination
from the Schools (2 of which were closed during a part of the
year) and un-notified cases. Several cases were found at school