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52
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
School. I was informed that a fatal case had occurred in Lonesome,
and, bearing in mind the outbreak which had occurred South Streatham
in the earlier part of the year, I decided at once to communicate with
the London County Council Education Department, so that the
children at Immanuel School could be examined, and any unrecognised
case immediately excluded from attendance.
On Friday, the 7th inst., I inspected the school, and n-et the
Assistant Medical Officer to the London County Council Education
Department there, who informed me that he had taken 40 swabs from
the throats of children in Standard II. In eight of these cases the
Diphtheria bacillus was isolated, six being children residing in this
Borough and two in Lonesome.
On the 10th October the Medical Officer to the London County
Council Education Department informed me that he had given instructions
for the closing of the Infants' and Girls' Departments of the
school for a period of three weeks, and on the same day the Assistant
Medical Officer swabbed a large number of children in another classroom
previous to the closing of the school. In two of these the result
was positive.
With regard to cases occurring in Lonesome, I had previously
arranged with the Medical Officer of Health for the Croydon Rural
District that immediate information should be given to me of any case
occurring in that neighbourhood. From the 10th inst. to the 17th
inst., six cases have been so notified.
I personally visited the homes of several of the children who were
reported to me as being ill with sore throats, and in two cases swabs
were taken, but the result in both was negative.
The class-rooms were disinfected and cleansed by the sanitary
staff.
The sanitary arrangements of the school were inspected and the
drains tested. The result of the test was that grave defects were
discovered, aud in opening the ground in seven places, the drains
were found to be very foul and very defective. Notice was served on
the trustees of the school who have given instruction for the reconstruction
of the drains and the whole of the sanitary arrangements. In
consequence of this I considered that it would be detrimental to the