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73
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
origin of the first case, and I was informed that this child
was admitted on the 7th May from No. 10, Verran Road,
Balham, along with her brother, Frederick Greggs, and I was
also informed by the matron that she was in good health
when admitted and this was corroborated by the statement of
a relative at No. 10, Verran Road.
"Before the admission of the girl, however, there had
been no signs of any sore throats in the school, and although
Alice Greggs showed no clinical symptoms on admission it is
quite possible that the bacillus was present in her throat.
The first symptoms of her case occurred on the 25th May,
and until the 27th she slept in dormitory No. 5. Four other
cases occurred in this dormitory, three of them occupying
beds in close proximity to Alice Greggs.
"The infected dormitories and the clothing of the
patients were thoroughly disinfected, and up to the present
time (13th June) no further cases have occurred, and it is to
be hoped that the promptitude with which the swabbing was
carried out by the Medical Officer and the elimination of the
'carrier' cases will have had the effect of stopping the outbreak.
"There is one feature of this outbreak which calls for
attention, not only on account of its probable association with
the outbreak but also on account of the fact that in two
previous outbreaks, which I have had to report, the same
condition with regard to the drainage existed. On the
occurrence of the first case I was informed that part of the
basement had been flooded with sewage on the 17th May,
and that this sewage had to be baled out. Slight flooding of
the basement also occurred on the 1st June. Careful examination
of the drain showed that the Couzen's intercepting
trap which had been fitted was not in working order, and
that by some means it had been tampered with and rendered
useless to prevent the back-flooding of sewage from the main
sewer in time of excessive rainfall. This defect has now been
remedied, and if the intercepting trap is carefully examined
at regular intervals I apprehend that no further flooding will
occur."