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128
Again, on the 6th April, 1911, when the wave of Measles had
subsided, a Conference of representatives of various public bodies
met at the London County Council Hall and passed a series of
resolutions, viz. :—
1. That a better organization is desirable for London.
2. That during a serious outbreak of Measles, children
under five years should be excluded from School
Attendance.
3. That compulsory notification of Measles is. desirable.
4. That the cleansing of the Infants' Departments and of
the furniture, lower walls and floors thereof shall
take place once a week.
5. That accommodation should be provided in the Metro-
politan Asylums Board's Hospitals for urgent nonpauper
cases of Measles.
6. That in the interest of the public health the School
Regulations should provide that all children from
houses infected with Measles should be prohibited
from School attendance.
It is clear from these pronouncements that the question of
the administrative control by Sanitary Authorities of Measles left
a good deal to be desired, and it cannot be said that the improved
measures rendered available as a result of the Local Government
Board's action has been followed by any considerable degree of
success. In the Borough of Battersea since the beginning of the
year up to date 80 deaths have been recorded from Measles, 64
of which occurred in the first quarter of the year. Something
further is required to be done therefore if the terribly high
mortality-rate from Measles is to be prevented.
Notification of the disease would, as already pointed out,
be not likely to lower the actual incidence of the disease, and
therefore, by itself, would have little more than a statistical value.
With increased Hospital facilities provided, however, the case
in my opinion would be altered, and would enormously increase
the value of the measure now being carried out, viz., domiciliary
visits to the houses of patients notified and rapid following up
of the cases and contacts, and prompt removal to hospital of
patients where the home conditions rendered such a step imperative.
In the Report of the Local Government Board already
referred to, it is stated: "In attempting to arrive at a just
estimate of the value of compulsory notification as affording
means towards obtaining control of Measles, it would not be
proper to draw unfavourable conclusions from statistics that might
indicate no decrease in prevalence of this disease in, those districts