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55
an hour. All Houses were fumigated with
Sulphur; all the clothes and bedding were disinfected
several times at the Borough Disinfecting
Station. All the children had carbolic baths, and
gargle of permanganate of potash, or lozenges of
Formamint, Carbolic or Chlorate of Potash. All
children were sent for a walk, when fine, into
Victoria Park (close by) every day. The Chapel,
Sunday and Day Schools were closed and fumigated.
There was complete isolation of every
suspicious case in its room, and of every house in
itself. There were no admissions to or discharges
from "The Home" during this period. All the
drains and lavatories were thoroughly looked after
and are in good condition. The milk has been
tested and found quite clear from any diphtheritic
germs, and has been ordered to be boiled before
use.
As regards the cause, I cannot find that there
has been any Diphtheria in the neigbourhood, nor
in the district round the Farm where we get our
milk, nor in the other places supplied by the same
farm, so I have come to the conclusion that the
Epidemic can only be traced to Visiting Day which
occurred on the 3rd of November, ten days before
the first cases of Diphtheria developed. We
enquired, as usual, if there were any cases of infectious
disease in the district, and as none were
known, Visiting Day was allowed; but of course
there are friends of the children who come to "The
Home "from long distances round London.