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46
tion Authority and the Borough Councils were dealt with,
particularly in reference to the delay occurring in the receipt
of intimation of cases of disease from the London County
Council Education Department, and arrangements were made
as a result of this Conference to facilitate the transmission of
these intimations. The question of adding the disease to the
list of notifiable infectious diseases was also discussed, but
the considerable expense occasioned by payment of the fees
for such notifications appeared to outweigh any advantage
which it was thought might be derived from such a course.
It was agreed on all hands that this disease was treated far
too lightly by the general public, and therefore any measures
of education, by way of visitation or circulars of advice,
were to be encouraged. One frequently hears of this attitude
of mind on the part of mothers, for when a child is found in
school with the rash out, and the mother's attention is drawn
to this fact, they frequently are quite unconcerned, and are
hot at all eager to take the child home as desired, being
willing to find any excuse which it is thought may account for
the rash, and being only too ready to send the child to
school again immediately the rash has disappeared. It also
seems to me that further powers are necessary not only in
connection with Measles, but other infectious diseases, to
enable the Medical Officer of Health to treat private day
schools, also Sunday schools and scholars in attendance at
such schools in a manner similar to that already in force
with respect to Council schools, so that either individual
children might be compulsorily excluded or, in exceptional
cases, the whole of the school closed. It is only fair to state
on behalf of a great many proprietors of private day schools
and also those connected with Sunday schools that they are
quite willing to fall in with our wishes in this matter; at the
same time there are some few who not only do not evince
any readiness in the matter, but actually give as little information
and assistance as possible.