London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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St Pancras 1910

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, London, Borough of]

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being responsible for the health of the Borough, should also take all possible
means at their disposal to protect the children of the Borough from the spread
of this disease.
With a view to giving effect to the assistance to be rendered by this
Authority, you instructed the Medical Officer of Health to communicate with
the headmasters of schools in which measles occurred by sending intimations
to them that it was necessary for the classrooms in question 10 be promptly
and thoroughly cleansed and disinfected, and that if this were not done, and
the headmaster would name a day when the cleansing could take place, the
Borough Council would send men to carry out the work. Further, that
should the rooms not be properly cleansed and disinfected, the Medical Officer
of Health would order the closing of the rooms against the admission of the
children if he considered such a course necessary. The effect of this was to
secure the prompt cleansing of classrooms which otherwise would have been
delayed.
During the year 1910 the deaths from measles in St. Pancras numbered 143,
including 135 under five years of age, and eight over five years, as compared
with a total of 102 for the preceding year. In London the deaths numbered
1,980 and 2 324 respectively. The deaths were distributed in the Borough as
follows:—West St. Pancras 39; South St. Pancras 21; East St. Pancras 60;
and North St. Pancras 23. The death rate for the whole Borough was 0-60
per 1000 of the population. The death rate in the sub-divisions being:—
West 0.63; South 0.37; East 1.00; and North 0.38. Measles accounted for
more than twice as many deaths as all the notifiable infectious diseases put
together, a total of 143, as compared with 62. The death rate in the Borough
from all the notifiable diseases was 0*26 per 1000.
With regard to the paragraph in the London County Council's letter, that
"their Committee considered that the inspection of the children by the
teachers, in accordance with the instructions issued for their guidance, was
sufficient to secure that children were not re-admitted to school in an infectious
state." In the Rules and Regulations as to the Infectious Diseases enclosed
with their letter there is no specific instructions for the systematic inspection or
examination of children admitted or re-admitted to school, but only an
instruction to send home "children found to be ill in school, ailing in such a
way as to interfere with their work." The Committee of the London County
Council appears to be under a misapprehension as to their instructions to
teachers.
On the 10th May, 1910, your Council received the following circular letter
from the Local Government Board on the subject of Measles in London:—
Local Government Board,
Whitehall, S.W.,
Sir, 10th April, 1911.
Measles in London.
I am directed by the Local Government Board to state that they
have had under consideration the present outbreak of measles in London,
and that, on the suggestion of the President, their Medical Otficer has