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49
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
The total number of cases in this Table does not coincide with
the total number in the Local Government Board's Table, as correction
has been made for errors in diagnosis.
Of the total number of cases, viz.:—347, 149, or 43 per cent., did
not attend school, while 198, or 53 per cent., were at school, compared
with 44.8 and 55.2 per cent. in 1903.
Only 17 cases attended private schools, compared with 36 in
1903, while 181 occurred in other schools.
Only two cases attended elementary schools outside the Borough
compared with six in 1903.
The only two schools which were specially affected were Eardley
Road and Immanuel Schools, Streatham.
Twenty-six cases occurred among children attending Eardley Road
School in 1904 and 54 in 1903. The infection of this school continued
from last year until May of this year, when owing to the number of
cases occurring a special report was made to the Council.
This report was as follows:—
19th May, 1904.
Gentlemen,
On account of the prevalence of Diphtheria among children
attending Eardley Road Board School, South Streatham, I communicated
with the Medical Officer to the School Board and advised the
closing of the Infants' Department of such school for a period of three
weeks.
I have always been unwilling to close any schools for this disease
until every other means have been tried to stop the outbreak, and in
this case it was not until it was seen that nothing short of closure
would be efficacious that I advised the Medical Officer to the School
Board accordingly.
I have been informed by the Medical Superintendent to the
hospital to which the cases have been removed that the disease is of a
markedly malignant type.