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CLASS HYSTERIA.
In February, 1907, an anomalous case occurred in a school class in North-East London. It is
worth record, as such outbreaks are extremely rare in English elementary schools. They may be seen
occasionally as outbursts of hysteria in private boarding schools, but on the Continent they are more
common. The teacher reported that a little girl in Standard II. suffering from infantile palsy of left
arm, broke the right arm ; she was away some weeks and returned, and within a few days three children
had lost the use of their left arms, and a fourth of a rheumatic disposition had such severe pains in her
left arm that she held it to the side and could not be persuaded to use it. The diagnosis was clear. They
were, however, examined by Dr. Hogarth. Two were of Polish extraction and all nervous children,
one very ill-developed, one very affected in manner and speech, and another supposed to have heart
disease. By suggestion, the children were got to move their arms freely, and the head mistress was
instructed to see that they did not become paralysed again. The outbreak ended.
THE CLEANSING SCHEME.
Heads.—The number of unclean heads in the schools is steadily diminishing. During the past
year in some schools there was so marked an improvement that the question of vermin could be
practically ignored. Inspectors, managers, teachers and others speak in the highest praise of the good
work being done by the nurses. The new superintendent of nurses has commenced duty, and the work
will be more carefully regulated in future, but there is no doubt that the staff is still too few to fulfil
the high expectations which their services are gradually raising in the minds of those who have the
management of schools, and there are many complaints of insufficient attention to particular schools.