View report page

21
the giving of advice as to isolation when patients are not
removed, and other measures for preventing the spread of
disease. The total visits paid by the sanitary officers to
infected houses numbered 1,360, of which 935 were in
connection with scarlet fever, 157 with measles, 116 with
diphtheria, 46 with typhoid, 22 with small-pox, and the
remainder in connection with erysipelas, puerperal fever, and
infantile diarrhoea.
Enquiries are made as to the origin of every case,
various particulars as to milk and water supply, sanitary
surroundings, &c., are obtained by the Inspectors and recorded
on forms supplied to them; and immediate notice is sent to
any Day or Sunday School involved, prohibiting attendance
by the children of infected households. In the small-pox
cases this prohibition extended to places of work as well for
14 days, the Council paying, in one instance, full compensation
for loss of wages.
It was necessary, also, to close certain schools. In
Mitcham all Day and Sunday Schools were closed from May
2nd to 16th, on account of measles and scarlet fever, except
t"hose at Singlegate, which were closed from May 30th to June
27th. Later on, Killick's Road School, in Mitcham, was
closed from December 5th to 19th on account of scarlet fever,
and the elementary School at Beddington Corner was closed
for the fortnight ending December 6th. The plan of excluding
children living in certain streets, apparent centres of infection,
was also tried in Mitcham in June, with fairly satisfactory
results.
For the first time in this District, proceedings were taken
during the year against an individual for wilful exposure of
an infected person, and also against three others for failure to
notify scarlet fever. A fine of 15s. was imposed in each
case. In the latter cases, in which deliberate concealment was