Abstract
THE deaths from scarlet fever in England and Wales in 1851 numbered 13,634, whereas in 1931 with a larger child-population they numbered only 540. This remarkable change in mortality is the subject of a study by Miss Hilda Woods (Med. Res. Council, Sp. Rep. Series, No. 180. 1933). The diminution of scarlet fever deaths appears to be due essentially to lessened severity of the disease, and not to any general diminution in prevalence, and no evidence has been found to prove that hospital isolation has been effective in reducing either the prevalence or the mortality. The spread of scarlet fever has been attributed to various factors, but none seems to be generally applicable. Thus, in London scarlet fever is more prevalent in overcrowded areas, in Birmingham the greatest incidence is among the better class artisans, in Glasgow as overcrowding increases the attack-rate tends to diminish. In London there is a significant association between wet years and low prevalence, but no such association obtains in Liverpool, Manchester, or Birmingham.
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Epidemiological Studies on Scarlet Fever. Nature 132, 346 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1038/132346e0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/132346e0