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confined to nits only, in 1920 the Council decided that special arrangements should
be made for the treatment of such children in premises apart from the ordinary
cleansing centres, and to this end arrangements have been made with several voluntary
committees for the treatment of these cases of slight infestation.
It has always been the policy of the Council to secure the co-operation of the
parents in this important work, and the use of the Council facilities has only been
offered as an alternative to home treatment. Up to 1920 the practice of cutting
the hair, which before this time was the only method known of eradicating the
trouble satisfactorily, caused much dissatisfaction and elicited great opposition
from parents. This practice was, however, the outcome of a magisterial decision
that if it was impossible to cleanse the hair properly without cutting the hair, the
hair must be cut, or it would follow that any subsequent proceedings against parents
would fail, inasmuch as the Council had not "properly" cleansed the hair in the
first place.
Increasing attention had been given during the war years to the methods of
cleansing, and in 1919, by collaboration of the Council's chemical and nursing
staffs, a special preparation was brought into use and proved so successful that it
was possible to cleanse the most verminous of heads at a single sitting. At the
same time, a special type of metal comb was introduced which was found to be
extremely effective. These innovations completely altered the position, as it was no
longer found necessary to cut the hair to effect a proper cleansing, and from 1920
onwards the practice of cutting of the hair no longer found a place in the Council's
cleansing scheme.
The agreements made between the Council and the borough councils (local
sanitary authorities) for the use of the cleansing stations are not the only means of
co-operation which the borough councils have extended to this work. Powers
were given to these authorities in 1904 for cleansing, purifying or destroying articles
certified as filthy, dangerous or unwholesome, and for compelling the stripping
and cleansing of verminous dwellings. The cleansing scheme provides that local
boroughs should be notified of all cases of children bodily infested, and of persistent
cases of head infestation. Thus, whilst the school child is being dealt with under the
cleansing scheme, the local sanitary anthority is given the opportunity of dealing
with other members of the family, the bedding and clothing, and also with the
actual dwelling. Returns are received from the local sanitary authorities showing
the work done by them under this heading, and are referred to in the annual reports
of the school medical officer.
It was found that certain difficulties had arisen owing to differing interpretations
of the powers under the Act of 1904, and, arising out of a conference of the Council
and borough councils, it was decided that application should be made to Parliament
to strengthen the powers of the borough councils in dealing with verminous bedding
and clothing, etc. Extended powers were subsequently given in the General Powers
Act of 1922.
The officers upon whom falls the responsibility for the working of the cleansing
scheme are the school nurses. The school nurse arranges for the various advice
notices to be forwarded to parents. It is she who is called upon to support her
finding in the face of protests from the parents. She must deal with the parents,
firmly yet tactfully. Important records have to be kept by her in case she should
be called by the magistrates to give evidence in the courts. As she has a certain
number of schools in her care, in which she examines at least once a term all the
children (there is no statutory provision for the exemption of any child from personal
hygiene inspections), she is called upon to undertake many duties in her stride.
Enquiries as to outbreaks of infectious diseases, the visiting of homes for the giving
of advice, or for ascertaining the reasons of absence, are made by the school nurse
She assists the school doctor in the swabbing of "contacts" with cases of diphtheria.
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