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administrative work. 59
During nearly the whole of the year scarlet fever was a source of much anxiety and the
subject of frequent consultation with the Medical Officer (School) of the County. The bare
numbers of cases given in Table 42 give an unsatisfactory statement of the facts, owing to
the varying sizes of the schools, and to there being only a yearly total number of cases.
To give the full details would take up far more space than can be spared for the subject.
It may be stated that at St. Michael's (Star Street), Holy Trinity, and St. Paul's Schools
the cases were so distributed, both in time and in classes, as to suggest definite school
infection. Complete closure of two departments of the first named school was resorted to,
but as regards the other two—and certain other schools in the Borough—inspection of the
children in the schools and exclusion of doubtful cases sufficed to keep the disease fairly well
under control. The exclusion of unprotected children is now regarded as a matter of
routine following on the report of the first case of measles in any class room in the infant
department of a school.
Closure of classes or departments of schools was resorted to on 8 occasions last year,
13 less than in 1908. In addition there were 35 cases of exclusion of "unprotected
children" from classes in which cases of measles occurred. All closures and exclusions
were effected by the Medical Officer (Education) of the County, at the request of the
Medical Officer of Health of the Borough, such procedure ensuring promptitude of action, a
most essential part of such closure.