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49
The arrangements described in previous annual reports for sending infectious
disease "contacts" to Earlsfield House children's receiving home have been continued.
During the year, 295 children were admitted to the "contact" block at Earlsfield
House, and of these, 30 children developed the, disease to which it was stated they
had been exposed, and 16 developed other diseases.
References have been made in previous annual reports to the scheme for
active immunisation against diphtheria in the Council's residential establishments
for children. In the report for 1936 it was mentioned that this preventive measure
was first systematically applied in 1931 at the establishments under the control of
the Council where children are permanently in residence, including the residential
special schools and the approved schools, but that immunisation had not been
put into operation in the 2 receiving homes, the 3 residential open-air schools and
the remand home, as the children at these establishments do not remain there for
a sufficient length of time.
The materials employed for this prophylactic work, i.e., the diphtheria toxin
for Schick-testing and the formol toxoid used as immunising agent, are prepared
at the Council's antitoxin establishment at Belmont, Surrey, under the supervision
of Dr. R. G. White, the director.
In the annual report for 1936 an analysis was made of the numbers of children
Schick-tested and immunised during the period 1932-1935. During the year 1936,
1,598 children were Schick-tested, viz., 1,095 boys and 503 girls, of whom 693 boys
(63.3 per cent.) and 258 girls (51.3 per cent.) proved to be Schick negative or
naturally immune from diphtheria, whilst 402 boys (36.7 per cent.) and 245 girls
(48.7 per cent.) were found to be Schick positive, or susceptible to diphtheria.

* Schick positive.
Active
immunisation
against
diphtheria