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16 Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
5th July, 1918.
" I have to report the occurrence of a number of cases of peeling
of the skin of the hands and feet in children attending Fountain
Road School, Tooting, which have aroused the suspicion of Scarlet
Fever and in some instances have been notified as such.
" On the 7th June, I received a notice from the Head Teacher,
Fountain Road School, Tooting, stating that a child residing at
Alston Road, had been excluded from school on account of
suspected Scarlet Fever. The home of the child was visited by
the Sanitary Inspector who ascertained that she Was peeling
on the hands and feet. He urged the mother to have this child
and the other children seen by a doctor. This was done, and this
child and four others in the same family were notified as suffering
from Scarlet Fever. Notice of similar conditions in five children
residing at Khartoum Road, was received on the 13th June,
and these children were also seen and notified by a doctor as
suffering from Scarlet Fever.
" These cases were followed by one more on the 21st, five on
the 22nd, four on the 2nd July and twelve on the 3rd July. On
the 2nd July I visited the school in company with two Medical
Officers of the London County Council and examined a number of
children in the different departments.
" We found a large number of children with evidence of peeling
of the hands and feet, but in no instance was there any history
of any illness whatever or of any rash. I came to the definite
conclusion that these cases were not the result of Scarlet Fever
and that no further measures were necessary, and this view was also
taken by the London County Council Medical Officers.
" In order to see whether this condition was confined to this
school (that being the only one from which there had been exclusions
by the Head Teacher), we visited Smallwood Road School
and inspected a number of children there. We quickly found a
number of these children in the same condition, who had not