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serious, and the child quickly recovering is sent back to
school and play while in a highly infectious state, thus
spreading the infection far and wide. I think School
Authorities are somewhat to blame in this matter, for
the parents are so worried by the Inspector if the
children are kept at home even for a day, that they are
often sent back to school against the parents' wishes and
better judgment. A district like ours, with a constant
influx of fresh people generally having large, young
families, and a high birth-rate, always supplies a large
number of children ready to form a favourable nidus
for the disease, and I fear we shall always find this
complaint a troubleso'me and expensive one to deal with
in spite of all our precautions.
Writing on this subject in 1902, I remarked, " This
district is developing in a way that should make us
anticipate that the incidence of Infectious Diseases will
always yield a high number of cases in proportion to the
population."
WHOOPING COUGH.
As it seems probable that an epidemic of this
disease is commencing, I should like to quote from my
Annual Report for 1900 in reference to this serious
complaint. " There were many severe cases of this
complaint in the Autumn and Winter months of a
severe type and two deaths were due to it. There is
far too much carelessness in regard to this disease both
as regards exposure of children while infectious, and
also in the way of exposing them to inclement weather
while suffering from it, it being by no means uncommon
to see a child in a paroxysm of the cough in the public
street, perhaps with a cold north-east wind blowing at
the time. This exposure is a grave mistake and responsible
for many dangerous lung complications and
deaths." I beg to advise that this disease be included
in the list of Notifiable Diseases.
The fact that only 5 cases of diphtheria were
certified of which number so far as could be ascertained
two contracted the disease outside the district and two
more were apparently caused by a block in the housedrain
producing backward flow of sewage and soakage
at inspection chambers and closets, and that no case of
enteric fever was certified during the year may be taken
as proving in a highly satisfactory manner that our