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directly and indirectly, a localised outbreak of Diphtheria—11
cases in all (of which the first, Alfred Eslin, was notified on June
28th), as follows:—Alfred Eslin, Walter Callis, Daisy Tingley,
Elsie Callis, Edward Blease, Sarah Green, Charlotte Gatty, Frank
Spooner, James Callis, Rose Ludlow, Alice Baker (vide
Table IV.).
Preventive Measures Taken.
The preventive measures taken may be summed up as
follows: (a) notification, (b) isolation, (c) disinfection, (d) medical
inspection of all "contacts" and "suspects," and (e) antitoxin
injections. In connection with (a) notification and (d) medical
inspection, bacteriological examinations proved of the greatest
importance, and were systematically carried out, thereby enabling
all Diphtheria cases (actual or potential) to be "weeded out" and
isolated away from the Schools in the Metropolitan Asylums
Board Hospital. All Pseudo diphtheria cases were also isolated
in the School's Infirmary and Isolation Block, no child being
allowed to return to the Main Building until after three
consecutive bacteriological examinations of the throat and nose
had given negative results. This principle of three consecutive
negative examinations was adopted in connection also with the
convalescent patients returned from the Metropolitan Asylums.
Board Hospital to the Lambeth Parochial Schools.
All cases were strictly isolated (e.g., true diphtherias and
doubtfuls). C South Block was placed in quarantine by the
Guardians from May 17th to June 19th, to prevent the disease
from spreading to other Blocks of the School Buildings, but, as
the disease was found to persist during quarantine (dropping
cases occurring from time to time), it was finally decided, on the
advice of the Medical Officer of Health, to empty the C South
Block entirely, and to transfer all the remaining children to the
Isolation Block, which is away from the Main School Building.
This course was adopted on June 19th by the Guardians, when
insisted upon by the Medical Officer of Health, and it is to be
regretted that such a course was not adopted by them before—
the result being the transference of infection from C. South to
children in other Blocks of the Main Building, as follows:—
A North (Ben Oakey), A South (Richard Burrell), B South
(Clarence Rouse and Thomas Chorley), B North
(William Randell), D North (Violet Franks and Rose
Maddocks), C North (Julia Baldwin).