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conferred with the Medical Officers of the London County Council and of
the various Borough Councils as to the measures which may be taken for
dealing with it.
At the conference the view was generally expressed that Sanitary
Authorities have been hampered in t heir efforts to check the spread of the
disease by the absence of early information of cases, and the question was
considered whether this difficulty would be removed if measles were made
a notifiable disease.
On this question widely divergent views as to the value of notification
were shown to exist. A very large number of eases are not attended bv
a doctor, and it was pointed out that in such cases the adoption of the
Notification Act would be a dead-letter.
It may also be observed that the notification of measles has been tried
in a large number of towns and then abandoned.
Without, therefore, expressing any view on the question whether the
notification of measles would be justified, it is clear that such other means
of obtaining information as are available should be fully utilised.
The Board find that the School Attendance Department of the
London Education Authority have supplied much valuable information as
regards measles in the past, and, in view of the proceedings at the
conference, it appeared to the Board that it might be practicable to
arrange that this source of information should be made more readily
available.
On this question the Board have consulted the Board of Education,
and it has now been arranged that so long as the present emergency lasts
the School Attendance Officers will give speedy information to the Medical
Officers of Health of all cases of illness coming under their notice. It is
hoped that by this means eailv information of the majority of cases of
measles will reach the Medical Officers of Health.
The information thus obtained will necessarily require to be followed
up. Probably many cases will be reported which are not measles, and
arrangements should be made for obtaining a proper diagnosis, for
securing that the cases are properly isolated, and for urging on the parents
the need of obtaining medical aid where such aid is required.
No doubt the Council's official who visits the home will be able to do
much in the way of giving advice as to the care and nursing of the
patients.
Removal to Hospital.
The Board have been in correspondence with the Metropolitan
Asylums Board, and it is understood that that Board will agree to receive
cases of measles on the recommendation of the Medical Officer of Health.
The accommodation of the Metropolitan Asylums Board for this purpose
is necessarily limited, and arrangements will be made by which preference
will be given to those cases most needing hospital treatment.