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39
Mother Craft.—A Creche has now been opened in
Squires Lane. Special instruction is given to the elder girls
in the Public Elementary Schools, and it is proposed to use
the Creche for practical demonstrations in the very important
matters relating to the care of young children.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum.
During the year 1912 the late Dr. Bywater made careful
enquiries from all available sources as to the occurrence of this
disease in Finchley. From these he came to the opinion that
very few cases occur, and judging from the absence of corneal
opacities among our school children, even these must be of a
very mild type. He further stated in his report that although
he would like to see the disease made compulsorily notifiable
throughout the country, he did not feel it necessary to urge
the Council to anticipate this so far as Finchley is concerned.
Prevalence and Control over Acute
Infectious Disease.
The total number of cases of acute infectious disease
notified during the year was 160, which is equal to an attack
rate of 3.6 per 1,000 of the population, as compared with
168 cases, and an attack rate of 4.0 in 1912.
Table II., on page 44 gives other details relating to these
cases.
All cases are carefully investigated, and efforts made to
discover contacts. The school arrangements for the exclusion
of individual children, who have been in contact with cases
of infectious disease, work satisfactorily, there being the
closest co-operation with the Education Department for this
purpose.
There was no special grouping of cases in any particular
school or class, and it was not necessary to close any of the
Public Elementary Schools on account of Notifiable Infectious
Disease.