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consequently those who are in constant work, those who are of
sober habits, and those who appear farthest removed from
poverty, naturally get the best chance.
Such persons as these are less liable to fatal disease than
those whose work is intermittent, who are ever on the verge of
poverty, or who lead dissipated lives.
THE CLEANSING OF PERSONS BATHS.
In June the Public Health Committee resolved to extend
the use of the baths in the interests of health, cleanliness, and
education to the cleansing of school children who were reported
to be unfit to go to school and mix with other children on
account of verminous heads. Up to the end of the year, 460
children had been in this way treated. It has also become
sufficiently obvious that the existing accommodation is absurdly
inadequate, and to meet the growing demand more baths will
have to be provided. At the present time the Public Health
Committee and Council have this matter under consideration.
The cleansing process is undertaken with the active cooperation
of the officers of the County Council Educational
Department, whose method of working is as follows:—
Nurses are appointed whose duty it is to examine very carefully
every child in any particular school. She notes all that
have verminous heads. The parents are notified by a white
card, which gives directions for cleansing. At the end of a
week, if not cleansed, the child is made to sit apart from the
rest, and a red card is sent out, giving a more urgent warning.
If in another week the child is still unclean, the child is excluded
and the parents prosecuted for not sending the child in a fit
state to school. If only the heads were unclean, the parents
might and ought to take the necessary measures themselves ;
but experience has shown that in the majority of cases the
clothing is also infected. To cleanse woollen clothing without
injury to the fabric requires special appliances, such as steam
disinfection ; hence the necessity of utilising the facilities afforded
by the cleansing baths at the Shelter. According to the returns
of the Medical Officer to the Educational Department of the
London County Council, out of 119,762 school children examined
in various schools in the County of London, no less than 44,000
had verminous heads—that is, about 37 in every 100.
A list of cases is sent in regularly to this department, and
the parents are given the address of the cleansing baths in Grove
Road. Miss Baker, the Factory Inspector, has also given valuable
assistance by calling upon many of the parents and giving
advice generally.
The following report by the Matron (Miss Kilgallin) of the
special and general work done by the shelter and cleansing
baths will be of interest:—