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of notification relative to smallpox, diphtheria, erysipelas, cholera, membraneous croup, scarlatina,
scarlet fever, typhus, typhoid, enteric and relapsing fever to the teacher of any school attended by
children from infected houses. The head teacher should receive a copy of the notification certificate
within 12 hours of its receipt by the Medical Officer of Health. These arrangements have during
the past year also been supplemented by a voluntary arrangement extended to the various districts
bordering on London, and which send pupils into our schools.
On receipt of the notification from the Medical Officer of Health the following action
is taken:—
(а) The head master sends the notice to the head teachers of the other departments.
(b) All affected children (whether suffering or coming from the home in which the
disease exists) are excluded from school.
(c) Head teachers of all departments forward on the same day the names and
addresses of all children affected by the notice, to the Divisional Superintendent and the
Medical Officer (Education) on a form specially provided for the purpose.
(d) The notification is then filed at the school until the end of the school year.
In addition to the notifiable diseases there are the following non-notifiable diseases, which are
dangerous to school children:—Measles, mumps, whooping-cough, and chicken-pox. If a child
shows symptoms of any of these diseases, or comes from a home where such a disease is known
to exist—
(а) The child is excluded.
(b) The head teachers of the other departments are informed.
(c) The head teachers of all departments forward on the same day the names and
addresses of all affected children to the Divisional Superintendent, Medical Officer o
Health and Medical Officer (Education) on a form provided for the purpose.
The average number of these forms received weekly is 1,200, relating to 3,500 children
excluded. A record book is kept in this department, and each school department is credited with
all cases occurring therein.
Notifications.—Charts are appended showing the weekly numbers of cases of diphtheria and
scarlatina notified.
For Diagrams V., VI, VII., and VIII., see pp. 20—23.
The returns are also shown as a percentage above and below the mean.
School Closure.—There has been no general outbreak to record. The number of schools
under observation has been variable, as during the autumn the medical oversight of infectious
diseases was extended to non-provided ("voluntary") schools.