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51
WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT.
Several consultations took place during the year between the Board's Medical Officer
and the Medical Officer of Health with regard to certain other schools, but it was finally
decided in those cases that closure was not necessary. Disinfection of class-rooms and cloakrooms
was carried out after the closure specified, and fit other schools which were not
closed.
In reporting on results of visits to the public elementary schools, Miss O'Kell draws
attention to the (onlv too common) vitiation of the atmosphere of the school-rooms and to
the common use of "modelling clay." The former has been frequently noted by the Medical
Officer of Health and is not due to want of means of ventilation—which are always amply
provided—but either to neglect to use such means intelligently or to their failure. To plan
means of ventilation of, and to secure success in ventilating a room are two very different
things, the latter being bv no means a direct consequence of a well designed system based on
theoretical principles. It need scarcely be said that a school-room in which the ventilation
fails is a fruitful source of illness. Children whose resistance to infection is impaired through
breathing foul air, are more prone to contract infectious diseases, and thus the chance of an
epidemic outburst is increased. Moreover, the children cannot do their work so well and
what they do perform involves a greater strain on their nervous svstems. They are also
more prone to headaches and to chills on leaving the school-room.
Clay modelling has onlv recently been introduced into the public elementary schools.
The mass of clay is broken up for class purposes and handed round to the children. At the
end of class the small lumps are mixed together and again served out to the children, usually
(if not always) without any preliminary cleansing. As this goes on for an indefinite time,
the clay must become impregnated with dirt crowded with organisms some of which may be
those of the infectious diseases. The use of slates has been universally condemned on the
ground that they afford a channel for the transmission of infectious diseases. The promiscuous
use of modelling clay appears to be even more dangerous.
By the Provisional (1003) Code of Regulations for Public Elementary Schools, Art. 101*
(Epidemic Grant), became inoperative after March .31st of the year. The grounds for
repeal of the Article were that, the amounts awarded were so small as to be disproportionate
to the clerical and accountancy work involved in the awards. The Article was distinctly
useful, in that it encouraged teachers to report cases of infectious illness to the Sanitary
Authority, with a view to recoupment for reduced attendances. If cannot be said that there
has been any slackness on the part of the teachers in so reporting cases since the grant has
been withdrawn, but it is desirable that some other measure should be introduced to keep
teachers in close (or closer) touch with the medical officer of health. Outside London,
this has been largely effected by the Sanitary Authority becoming the Education Authority.
In London the London County Council will be the Education Authority, and no scheme has
as yet been foreshadowed to give metropolitan medical officers of health any share in the
medical supervision of schools. The junior classes (and especially the baby classes) in the
Public "Elementary Schools are such fruitful centres of infectious disease, that the local
sanitary officers should be kept constantly posted as to all cases of such diseases as they
occur. In New York, medical officers are appointed bv the Board of Health to visit all
public schools daily. Teachers set apart for examination all suspected children, and if found
to be ill, such children are sent home and not re-admitted until medicallv certified fit. Such
a system reduces the risks of epidemic outbreaks in schools from the presence of undetected
cases, to a minimum, and is well worthy of adoption in this country.
In accordance with old-standing arrangements with the Medical Officers of Health of the
adjacent districts, duplicates of notices sent to schools outside the respective districts are
exchanged. Last year 202 duplicate notices were despatched bv the Department, 116)