London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Heston and Isleworth 1910

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Heston and Isleworth]

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21
2. On the ground that their uncleanly or verminous
condition is detrimental to the other scholars, or
3. On the ground that, owing to their state of
health or their physical or mental defects, they are incapable
of receiving proper benefit from the instruction
in the school,
the exclusion of such children shall be deemed for the
purposes of this Code, to be exclusion on reasonable grounds.
For the purposes of this provision, the Local Education
Authority may direct that no children who have been excluded
under the authority of the School Medical Officer, or under
Article 57, or who have been absent from school owing to
sickness, shall be re-admitted to school if the School Medical
Officer is not satisfied that they can attend school without
risk to themselves or others.
Every direction or authority given by the School Medical
Officer must be embodied in a certificate signed by him. A
copy of every certificate must be furnished to the Local
Education Authority, and must be produced, if required, to
any Inspector or Officer of the Board's Medical Department."
Action under the above section was taken in 371 cases, of which
279 were re-admitted after subsequent examination. The remaining
92 cases were cases of mumps, whooping cough, bronchitis, etc.,
who were excluded until the swelling of mumps subsided or the
cough got better so that they might return to school without any
delay. The 279 cases thus excluded lost 16,821 attendances and by
proportion it may be assumed that the total of 371 cases lost 22,368
attendances. Four hundred attendances represent £4 so that a loss
of 22,368 attendances means a loss of £223 13s. 7d. to the
Committee and the State.
Take diseases of the skin. 76 cases lost 7170 attendances and only
13 of these procured treatment. It is certain that if treatment were
obtainable by all these children excluded it would save a large portion
of the £223 13s. 7d. lost and at the same time the children would be
put into a fit and proper condition to enable them to maintain
healthy lives.