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67
It will be observed that the higher incidence upon children
under five years is not confined to those attending school.
The attack rate, however, upon the children under five attending
school is so disproportionate to that upon children above five
as to exhibit the extreme risk of aggregating large numbers
of children of tender years in the infant departments of public
elementary schools. Susceptibility to zymotic disease is in the
main a question of age. If young children can be shielded from
infection, their chance of contracting zymotic diseases when they
grow older is greatly reduced, while the risk to life should they do
so is immensely lessened. Especially is this the case with measles
and whooping cough. All the deaths from whooping cough during
the year occurred in children under five years of age. Forty out
of the 44 deaths from measles occurred in children under five.
It is difficult to conceive stronger argument for protecting to
the uttermost the younger children from risk of infection.
Aggregating large numbers of highly susceptible children in
class-rooms where the risk of exposure to infection is extreme is
courting disaster. Whatever advantages there are in very young
children attending the infant departments they are purchased at
a price set out in our sickness and mortality bills, and there can
be no question that to send a child to school under five years of
age is seriously to imperil its health and its life.
VISION OF SCHOLARS ATTENDING PUBLIC
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
In my report of last year on the hygienic control of schools,
I prepared a scheme whereby it was arranged to test the vision of
all scholars attending the schools controlled by the Council. I
prepared detailed instructions for the guidance of the teachers,
which were incorporated in the regulations of the Education
Committee, and are here produced.
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