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neighbours while their children are suffering from Measles or Whooping
Cough, or any other infectious disease, or to allow children suffering from
such diseases to play with other children in the street or elsewhere, or to
attend school. Most of the deaths from Measles and Whooping Cough
result from an exposure to damp and cold, which leads to inflammation of
the lungs.
N.B.—The Sanitary Authority will disinfect houses in which children
have been suffering from either of these complaints free of charge, and with
very little inconvenience to the householders.
It should be noted by parents that although children frequently appear to
have recovered from Measles or Whooping Cough in a shorter period than that
mentioned above, they are, nevertheless, infectious for the whole of the period
indicated, and wilful exposure of them during this time renders parents
liable to prosecution and a penalty of FIVE POUNDS.
HENRY KENWOOD, M.B., D.P.H.,
Medical Officer of Health.
The attendance at elementary schools is responsible for a
great deal of spread, and the co-operation of school teachers in
endeavouring to detect cases in their early stages and in excluding
them from school attendance will be sought.
Lastly, it will be a useful means of bringing home to poorer
parishioners the seriousness of measles (and it moreover furnishes
an opportunity of giving verbal advice) if, when a death from this
disease figures amongst our death returns, we visit the premises,
disinfect, and endeavour to ascertain if the parents know of
any other cases in neighbouring houses.
Finchley Scarlet Fever Hospital.—The number of
cases admitted during the year was only 13, and after an average
stay in hospital of 42 days, all were discharged free from
the complaint. In all of these cases isolation was urgently
required, and was not procurable in the houses where the
disease occurred; although, therefore, the hospital has been
but little used it has done good service in saving many others
from attack.