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160
Annual Report of the London County Council, 1912.
Thanks to the care taken when transferring children from homes to industrial schools the latter
are remarkably free from infectious and contagious diseases. In many of the larger schools cases
seldom if ever occur; in others occasional outbreaks have to be recorded.
Brixton-hill. See under Diphtheria.
Gordon House. Some trouble was found in dealing with a small outbreak of ringworm of the
scalp. The cases, as discovered, were isolated in a separate block. They yielded with difficulty to treatment,
and moreover acted as centres for spread to others in the school. The Council made arrangements
therefore for the removal of those suffering, and the medical officer was thus better able to
control the disease.
Children with scalp ringworm are now admitted to the Metropolitan Asylums Board Hospital
to be treated by X-rays. The period of detention is much curtailed and the cure is sure.
Home for Little Boys—Clapham-park. The children at this school attend the infants' department
of Lyham-road school and therefore run the risk of contracting infection from day scholars.
During the past year they were affected by measles and chickenpox, which necessitated the
exclusion of all children from this home from attending school.
Home for Little Boys—Stormont House. This home was opened during the year for the
reception of industrial school children under seven years, and accommodates 30. The children attend
Sigdon-road school. During 1912, 12 cases of ophthalmia and 13 cases of measles occurred in the
home, necessitating the exclusion of all the children belonging to this institution from attending the
day school.
Infectious
Disease in
Residential
Industrial
and Special
Schools.
The subjoined statement shows the number of cases of infectious and contagious diseases reported
during the year from the Council's residential schools.
Acre-lane (M.D.) Ringworm, 2 cases.
Anerley (Deaf) Ringworm, 1 case.
Conjunctivitis, 2 cases.
Gordon House Industrial Ringworm, 4 „
Highbury Industrial Chickenpox, 2 „
Home for Little Boys, Clapham-park Measles, 7 „
Whooping cough, 2 „
Chickenpox, 5 „
Diphtheria, 1 case.
Ringworm, 2 cases.
Homerton (Deaf) Measles, 3 „
May ford Industrial Chickenpox, 1 case.
Oak Lodge (Deaf) Scarlet fever, 1 „
Stormont House Industrial Home for Little Boys Measles, 13 cases.
Conjunctivitis, 12 „
The facilities afforded by the Metropolitan Asylums Board for the accommodation of those suffering
from measles, whooping cough, ophthalmia and ringworm have been freely utilised.
The necessary precautions have been taken to prevent the spread of disease, not only within
the various institutions, but also from one institution to another, by prohibiting migration during the
appropriate quarantine period.
Open air schools.
Children
admitted to
Open-air
Schools.
The two open-air schools maintained by the Council have been fully described in previous reports.
Formerly the schools were open only from April to October. Both have now been continued throughout
the winter months. No difficulties have been experienced, and the results upon the health of the children
have been uniformly good. The demonstration that it is possible in our climate to carry on the schools
continuously is very valuable, and perhaps the most serious difficulty with regard to organisation has
thus been solved. Of the children nominated for admission during the past year 573 were examined
and the following classification made :—
A1 (very suitable) 343.
A2 (suitable) 91.
B1 (suitable only if a shortage of entrants) 56.
B2 (not recommended) 25.
C (unsuitable) 58.
Applications for places in open-air schools are becoming increasingly numerous; unfortunately
it has been impossible to provide places for children north of the Thames, but the Council has sanctioned
the provision of a third school to be established in North London and it is anticipated that accommodation
in this area will soon be forthcoming.
In view of the difficulty experienced in obtaining sites for the purpose, it might be desirable to
consider the utilisation of a vessel moored in the river after the plan followed in New York. This would
be a solution of the problem of providing full open-air treatment in a day school for those children
needing it in the crowded districts near the river in the East End of London.
Birley House
School.
Birley House.—The general organisation of Birley House has continued unaltered, and in January,
1912, there were in attendance 84 children who had been admitted at various times since the preceding
April. Their physical condition was carefully reviewed during March, and 29 were selected for stay during