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Scarlet Fever—Oliver Goldsmith School.
As in 1937, this school accounted for more than a normal
share of the cases of scarlet fever throughout the schools in the
Borough. The number of cases in 1938, however, was relatively
considerably less than in 1937. From September until the end
of the year in 1937 there had been 64 cases while, throughout
all 1938, there were 60 cases. The next highest number at a
school was at Park Lane where there were 33 cases throughout
the year. 21.7% of the cases among the children attending
Wembley schools belonged to Oliver Goldsmith School.
Throughout the year at this school cases occurred now and
again just when it had been hoped that the trouble had passed
over. For example, in weekly periods the incidence was as follows
1, 0, 1, 1, 3, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 2, 0, 1, 3, 2,
1, 3, 3, 0, 1, 0, 2, 2, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 2, 5, 1, 4, 1, 1, 1,
1, 4, 5, 2, 1, 1, 0, 0.
This "slow tempo" is a striking feature of the epidemiology
of scarlet fever and goes to show that the infection is disseminated
by contact which must be relatively intimate or
frequently repeated (Hobson: Medical Practice in Residential
School, 1938).
In order to see whether one definite type of streptococcus
was causing the trouble, a representative number of nose and
throat swabs were examined at the Ministry of Health laboratory
through the co-operation of Dr. Thomas, Medical Superintendent
of the Joint Isolation Hospital. The results of this
special examination (typing), however, went to show that more
than one type of streptococcus was present while, at the second
swabbing of the same children, the type had sometimes changed,
no doubt due to new and still more recent infections.
The Divisional Education Officer supplied the return of
attendances throughout the year at the school and at Fryent
and Roe Green schools in the same neighbourhood, but it has
been impossible statistically to come to a conclusion as to a
likelihood of more absences from Oliver Goldsmith school being
due to streptococcal illnesses than from these other schools in
the northern area.
Intensive search for missed cases was made continually,
particular attention being paid to those classes in which there
were the greater numbers of cases. For example, one child
was admitted to hospital for the removal of tonsils and adenoids.
A member of the staff had had scarlet fever in 1937, and when
the throat was examined bacteriologically along with all
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