View report page

24
Hampstead—The medical officer of health states that towards the end of 1895 measles assumed
formidable proportions, and attacked large numbers of young children in the Netherwood-street Board
School with fatal results. His experience is that "this disease is only fatal to the children of the
working and labouring classes, a fact which points to a want either of care or means in the treatment
of this disease."
St. Pancras—The medical officer of health summarizes the reasons for and against the compulsory
notification of measles, the reasons for notification being in the main that it would assist in
giving control over the attendance at schools of infectious children, and would enable the isolation and
hospital treatment of children who are infected to be better secured. The chief reasons given against
notification are the early infectiousness of the malady, the large proportion of cases which are not
medically attended, and the difficulty of providing hospital accommodation for the sufferers.
Islington—The medical officer of health strongly recommends the compulsory notification of
measles.
Stoke Newingtom—The medical officer of health points out the need for impressing on the poorer
inhabitants the serious nature of the disease. He recommended the distribution of handbills with this
object every November and May. Handbills were distributed in 1895.
St. Giles—The medical officer of health refers to the action of this authority in 1892 in adopting
a resolution in favour of the notification of measles, but states that, in reply to a letter from the clerk
of the Vestry of St. George-the-Martyr, the District Board of St. Giles stated that they were not in
favour of hospital accommodation being provided for the patients.
Holborn—The medical officer of health expresses an opinion in favour of the notification of
measles. In discussing the mortality from measles he states that he has found on investigating the
history of many children whose deaths have been registered as being due to bronchitis, pneumonia
and pleuro-pneumonia, that they had not long before death suffered from measles, and often other
children in the same house were either ill, or had recently recovered from that disease.
City—In September, owing to an outbreak of measles among children in the infants'
department of the Greystoke-place Board School, the medical officer of health recommended the
sanitary authority to make an order, under article 98 of the Educational Code, to close this department
for three weeks; the order was accordingly made, and the infants' department closed for this period.
St. George-in-the-East—The medical officer of health expresses the opinion that " it is doubtful
whether much good would accrue from making it (measles) a notifiable disease, unless accommodation
were provided for the isolation of patients, although something might be gained by being enabled to
notify the schools."
Limehouse—The District Board, in reply to a letter from the Vestry of St. George-the-Martyr,
stated that " as hospital accommodation could not be secured, notification of the disease was useless.''
Mile-end, Old-town—During the month of March the medical officer of health discovered an
outbreak of measles in the neighbourhood of St. Paul's-road Board School. On visiting the school he
found that about one-sixth of the children were absent, and were said to be suffering from this disease.
The children were scattered over the districts of Mile-end, Poplar and Limehouse. An order was made
by the vestry under article 98 of the Educational Code, and the school was closed. " Twelve days later
I received an application to allow the school to be reopened, but the circumstances did not justify my
acceding to the request, and I deferred doing so until the lapse of a further period of seven days.
Owing to this energetic action the spread of the epidemic was arrested."
Poplar (Poplar and Bromley)—The medical officer of health refers to the outbreak of measles
in the St. Paul's-road Board School, and states that in April the head teacher of that school notified to
him the names and addresses of some 169 scholars in 31 houses who had been excluded from the school
on account of measles occurring in their homes. (Bow)—The medical officer of health comments on the
indifference with which measles is regarded by the poorer inhabitants of the district, and adds "This
stricture is not, however, merely confined to the poorer classes, there being amongst the middle and
upper classes of the inhabitants a tendency to attach little importance to this disease, and indulge in
carelessness with regard to its treatment." He urges the provision of hospital accommodation for the
sick, and is opposed to notification without hospital provision.
Newington—The medical officer of health states that " The locality most affected was that of
St. John's, and owing to the crowded condition of that ward the mortality, as is seen, was exceptionally
high. The Jewish Schools being situated in St. John's ward, and receiving pupils from all parts of
London, it was thought advisable to close them for a short time. I am distinctly of opinion that
during this severe epidemic, had the complaint been a notifiable one, we should have been in a better
position to render more effective assistance than we did, apart altogether from hospital accommodation
for the infected sick."
St. Olave—The medical officer of health reported that he was of opinion that cases of measles
should be notified, and that hospital accommodation should be provided especially for those who cannot
be properly isolated at home.
Battersea—A bill was issued giving the public instructions as to the necessary precautions to be
observed during an epidemic of this disease.
Wandsworth—The medical officers of health in a special report recommended the notification of
measles, mainly on the ground that it would enable children to be kept from school who were exposed
to infection in their homes.
Plumstead—The medical officer of health recommended that application should be made to the
Local Government Board to apply sections 64, 68 and 70 of the Public Health (London) Act to
measles, with a view to inducing the public to recognise the importance of the disease.