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149
Report of the County Medical Officer—Education.
Loeffler bacilli in both throat and nose. July 5: Another letter from father asking for readmission of a
brother. July 8: Arrangements made at a hospital for enucleation of tonsils. This was carried out
August 26: After holidays all members of family "swabbed"; no suspicious germs found. August 27:
Children re-admitted to school.
(V) Wix's-lane School.—Three children attending room 6 of the infants' department were notified
on June 13, 15 and 21 respectively. The child (No. 2 on the subjoined diagram) notified on June 21
was subsequently found to have had rhinorrhœa for a month, whilst still attending school. She last
attended on June 18, and on June 21 was notified as suffering from nasal diphtheria. On June 6 a niece
(age 15) of the class teacher, living at the same address, had also been notified as suffering from
diphtheria. This girl had only just recovered from rheumatism and had not been out of the house. In
spite of this case the teacher continued at her duties until June 17. On this date she was asked to
absent herself from school until a bacteriological examination had been made. She stated that she
had had no contact with her niece, and as the latter was immediately removed to hospital and the
premises disinfected, she did not stay away from school.
On June 18 she was. bacteriologically tested. The throat and nostrils appeared quite healthy,
but she had Klebs-Loeffler bacilli in both throat and nose. She was re-examined from time to time
afteT this date, but in spite of local treatment remained infectious until August 23 (68 days). She
resumed her duties after three successive negative results had been obtained. It is quite impossible
in this case to say definitely whether the class teacher or case No. 2 may have been the primary case
and responsible for this local outbreak.
The subjoined diagram shows the places in which the affected teacher and children sat in class,
together with the dates of last attendance at school.
Infants' Dept.
Seating accommodation in Classroom 4.
The affected children or possible carriers are indicated thus (within the square):—
Diphtheria cases, by diagonal lines X.
Bacteriological cases B.
Sore throat or other suspicious cases S.
Note,—Each oblong represents a dual desk, and each square a child's seat. The places occupied by the
affected children and dates of last attendance at school are specified in each case.
(VI) Brixton-hill Residential Industrial School.—The case of a girl R.C., now aged 13, who was
admitted to Brixton-hill School on 1st January, 1910, in a weakly condition, is deserving of special
consideration, inasmuch as the child's throat has been found to yield diphtheria bacilli for such a
prolonged period as to make the case quite a unique one.
On 27th December, 1910, R.C. was found to be suffering with a sore finger and on 28th December
Dr. Benham lanced a whitlow on the second finger of the right hand. On 29th December R.C. developed