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36
Charlton districts during the fourth quarter of the year. Unfortunately,
several scholars attending one of the County Council
Schools in this neighbourhood were allowed to continue in
attendance at the School whilst in an infectious condition, and
this gave rise to a large number of cases amongst other scholars
attending the School. It may be pointed out that these cases
were all of a very mild character, and in the majority of instances
showed very little clinical evidence, the patients not complaining
of any illness beyond a slight sore throat, and it was only after a
consideration of all the facts when seeking for the cause of the
increased incidence of this disease, and on having bacteriological
examinations made of children actually in attendance at the
School, that this condition of things was revealed. Arrangements
were then made with the Education Department of the London
County Council to the effect that they should make periodical
examinations of the children in the School, excluding all those
who gave positive and also suspicious bacteriological results; and,
on the other hand, that this Council should make themselves
responsible for the examination of the children previous to their
readmission to School; in this way the outbreak has been at
length successfully combated.
Great difficulty has been experienced in deciding as to what
was the best course to take with a view to the isolation and treatment
of these cases of bacteriological Diphtheria which showed
no clinical signs, and in the early part of the outbreak it was
considered sufficient if these children were isolated in their own
homes, and a medical man called in should, at any time, treatment
appear to become necessary. This plan, however, failed to
achieve the object we had in view, for other cases of actual