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28
1920
These departments were not closed sufficiently early to postpone
the epidemic to any considerable extent, but measles did not affect
the other schools to any appreciable extent until the beginning of
May. Probably the closure of the departments and the intervention
of the Easter holidays resulted in a slight postponement
of the epidemic, and I am of opinion that this slight postponement,
together with the splitting up of the epidemic, as it were, was
instrumental in contributing towards a milder epidemic than if
it had occurred as an explosion during the colder months.
The history of the outbreak presented nothing of outstand
ing interest; the outbreak followed the usual course observed in
a mild epidemic of measles.
A doubtful case was notified from Beaumont Park School
in the early part of March, but in this instance it was probably a
case of mistaken diagnosis.
Undoubted cases were reported in March from the Southfield
Road Infants' and Acton Infants'. The dates of the onset
of symptoms in these cases were between March 8th and March
11th. These departments were closed on March 22nd and March
24th respectively, and re-opened after the Easter holidays, on
April 12th.
The Montessori Class at Southfield Road was again closed
from April 13th to May 3rd.
A case occurred in the Priory Infants' Department before
the Easter holidays. The initial symptoms occurred on March
23rd, and the first crop fell during the Easter holidays.
Cases occurred amongst the children attending Rothschild
Road, South Acton, and Acton Wells Infants' Departments during
the Easter Holidays, but there was no spread of the disease until
the earl}7 part of May.