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42
London in the beginning of the year a Conference was
held on March 13th, at the Local Government Board
Offices, at which the President of the Local Government
Board and the Medical Officer, Dr. Newsholme, discussed
with the Metropolitan Medical Officers of Health the
preventive measures that could be adopted. The question
of notification was considered, but the Board did not
order its adoption as a very large number of cases are
not attended by a Doctor, and in such cases notification
would be a dead letter, and, moreover, notification of
measles has been tried in a large number of towns and
then abandoned. It was thought that the information
obtained from schools might be made more readily
available, and the Board arranged with the Board of
Education that the School Attendance Officers should
give speedy information to the Medical Officers of Health
of all cases of illness coming under their notice.
Having regard to the high fatality of measles among
children under five and the saving of life there would be,
if the attack could be postponed to a later age, there was
a general consensus of opinion as to the advisability of
excluding children under five from elementary schools.
Hospital Treatment of Measles.
In 1910 the Managers of the Metropolitan Asylums
Board were empowered by the Local Government Board
to receive into their hospitals children suffering from
measles or whooping cough, who are either in the institutions
of the Poor Law Guardians or can be admitted
into a Poor Law Infirmary by order of the Relieving
Officers, and in May, 1911, the Local Government Board
made a further Order requiring the Managers to admit
cases of measles recommended by the Medical Officer of
Health,provided they have more accommodation available
than is required for the reception of pauper patients suffering
from measles. Consequent upon this, a circular letter
was addressed to the medical practitioners practising in