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62
The other outbreak occurred in a school in Limehouse, where one of the children
was found in February to be suffering from the disease. As a result of this discovery
the school was visited, and the medical examination of the other children resulted
in the finding of seven further cases; three of these belonged to the same family
as the original case. All the children except one were admitted to White Oak
hospital. Necessary precautionary measures were taken at the school to prevent the
spread of infection, and the children were kept under daily supervision through the
school medical service. Close co-operation was maintained with the borough medical
officer who arranged for the visitation of school absentees. The outbreak subsided
in May.
Measles.
A preliminary survey ot the measles epidemic which commenced in .November,
1931, was made in the Annual Report for 1931. The epidemic ended in the elementary
schools in July, 1932.
A comprehensive report dealing with various aspects oi the epidemic, such
as incidence, mortality, hospital treatment, scheme of control in the school, home
nursing, etc., is being prepared and will be published in due course.
Ringworm.

It will be seen that the number of new cases of ringworm continues to diminish
and that at the end of 1932 there were only 89 known cases amongst school children
in London.
Not many years ago the existence of ringworm amongst the children in the
Council's schools constituted a most troublesome problem. At the end of 1912
over 5,000 children were suffering from the disease; by 1922 the number had
been reduced to 2,700. The number recorded this year (89) is the lowest on record.
The virtual extinction of ringworm is a tribute to the excellence of the work carried
out by the school nursing service in connection with the detection of cases and their
following up.
During the year, 879 specimens of hair stumps, sent by the school nurses, were
examined for ringworm at the laboratory at the County Hall. Ringworm fungus
was found in 240 of these (181 small snore and 59 laree snore).
Favus.
Post
encephalitis
lethargica.
No case of favus was reported during the year.
During the year 11 school children (8 male and 3 female) were admitted to the
Council's post encephalitis lethargiea unit at the Northern hospital, and 14 (8 male
and 6 female) were discharged. One child died, the certified cause of death being
(a) status epilepticus, (b) polioencephalitis.
At the end of 1932 there were still 35 boys and 13 girls under treatment in the
unit.
Play
centres.
Close co-operation has been maintained with the Play Centres Committee,
who were notified with regard to all schools where infectious illness was prevalent.
The Committee are continuing the scheme for the distribution of notices warning
parents against sending children to the centres if they are unwell or are home contacts
of infectious illness, as outlined in the annual report for last vear.
School
journeys.
Particulars of the arrangements made for school journeys during 1932 are set
out on page 43.