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

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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London

Hackney 1898

Report on the sanitary condition of the Hackney District for the year 1898

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13
per week. Of course, during this period, all children from infected
households were excluded from school, and all means adopted to
prevent the spread of the disease amongst the scholars.

Table: There were 23 cases altogether notified in the St. James' School during the period stated, distributed in the three departments in the following manner:—

There were 23 cases altogether notified in the St. James' School during the period stated, distributed in the three departments in the following manner:—

St. James School.No. of Cases Notified.Average Attendance.Percentage of Scholars Affected.
Boys' Dep.1510015%
Girls' Dep.41003.5%
Infants' Dep4508.o%

Table: The cases in the boys' department were distributed in the different standards in the following manner.

The cases in the boys' department were distributed in the different standards in the following manner.

Standard.No. of Scholars in Standard.No. of Cases.Percentage Affected.
1st20420%
2nd30620%
3rd2328.6%
4th13177%
5th,6th & 7th2528.0%

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The highest number and percentage of cases are in the first two
standards. I could find no cause for 20% of the first two standards
being affected, unless there are some circumstance connected with
the class-room or special to the standard to cause this heavy incidence.
The outbreak appears to me to be a typical instance of
"school influence" in the spread of disease. On visiting and
inspecting the school, I failed to find anything in the sanitary
arrangements which could in my opinion lead to such an outbreak.
But I found for educational purposes that all the standards were in
one room and seated in the following manner: The 1st and 2nd
Standards were seated at four long desks, made to accommodate 10
each. The 3rd Standard were seated at desks made for four each,
and the remaining standards at desks to accommodate five each.