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99
[1897
that a refusal was also given on December 30th by the Board's Medical
Officer when appealed to through the telephone to supply the Vestry
with the names and addresses of the Infants attending the closed
Schools. But curiously enough the very next day the information
refused by him it was granted by the Vice-Chairman of the School
Management Committee, who undertook the responsibility of giving it.
And it may be now stated that it has been granted ever since, and
that it has proved of the greatest value in enabling the Vestry's
Medical Officer of Health to come to a determination as to whether he
should advise that a school should be re-opened at the end of three
weeks or be kept closed for a further short period. Generally the routine
practice which prevails throughout the country with respect to Measles
is to close schools for a period of six weeks. This means a serious
educational loss, and, therefore, to be avoided if possible. In Islington
the practice recommended by the Medical Offier of Health was to close
the affected Department of the School for three weeks, and towards the
close of the last week to cause an inquiry to be made at each house as
to the presence or absence of the disease. A list of the houses still
remaining infected was then made out and forwarded to the Head
Teacher of the School with a request that no scholars from them be
admitted until further information had been received from the Vestry.
This practice has worked remarkably well, and has been the means of
enabling the schools to be re-opened at a much earlier date than they
otherwise would have been. Under these circumstances, it was a most
extraordinary as well as a most short-sighted policy for the School
Board and its Officials to place difficulties in the way of the Vestry
and its Medical Officer of Health, who were anxious to facilitate the
work of education in Islington to the utmost extent.
The late Rev. Hugh Rose, M.A., Vicar of Clerkenwell, who was a
member of the School Board at the time, took a great interest in this
matter, and to him, in a great degree, is due the more conciliatory
policy at present pursued.
During this period two reports were presented by the Medical
Officer of Health, and as they are important documents they are now
reprinted, with the omission of the names and addresses of the Scholars
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