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28
At the census of 1901 the number of children in Finchley
under 15 years of age was 6,642, and at the present time is
probably over 9,000. We have therefore a large population
at an age specially liable to infection, and considering the
proximity of London, where epidemic disease of one kind and
another is constantly present, it is evident that Finchley
stands little chance of any prolonged freedom from an
epidemic, or at least the occurrence of sporadic cases of some
infectious disease.
Much may, however, be done by isolation of eases and
thorough disinfection to hold a threatened epidemic in chcck,
and the individual gain to a child if he can be guarded from
an attack is considerable. It is not merely the immediate
consequcnccs of the illness one wishes to avoid, but the chronic
ill-health or enfeebled constitution that so frequently results.
Disinfection of Premises, Etc. On the removal of a
patient to Hospital, or, if the patient is nursed at home, as
soon as the medical attendant sends word that the patient is
free from infection, the room is fumigated with formic
aldehyde vapour, and the bedding, blankets, and all clothing
which cannot be washed without injury to the material arc
passed through an " Equifex " steam-disinfector. Whenever
considered necessary, directions are given to have the wall
paper stripped and the ceiling whitewashed.
Notification of School Authorities.—In order to
enable the School Authorities to exclude from school all
children living in infected houses, and to prevent the return
to school of contacts before a sufficient period of quarantine
has passed, a notice is forwarded to the Secretary of the
Council's Education Committee or to the head of a private
school, according as the circumstances require.
Isolation Hospital.—An agreement with the Hornsey
Borough Council with reference to the conjoint use of their
Isolation Hospital for Hornsey and Finchley patients came