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attendance, while adopting such safeguards as are obviously necessary.
Our existing policy has not resulted, so far as we know, in
any increase in infectious diseases generally or in the spread
of outbreaks or epidemics in schools
It is interesting to note that in 1906 the average attendance
at school was the basis on which the education grant was made.
The effect of this may be judged from paragraphs written by Dr
Connolly in his Report for that year:-
"The fact that the average attendance is the basis on which
the education grant is given tends to cause an undue influence
to be exercised on parents to send their children to school
when in an unfit state To a certain extent there is an antagonism
between the interests of the public health and the
apparent interest of the Education Authority and an utterly
illogical and improper magnification of the importance of a
high average attendance as a test of efficiency is caused."
"All the recent contributions to the questions of National
Education of any value emphasize the paramount importance of
securing the highest possible physical development of the
children, and I hope the Council will discourage any attempt
to suggest that the average attendances of scholars, whether
high or low, reflects the slightest credit or discredit on
the masters or mistresses in charge of any particular school
The masters and mistresses should be relieved of any responsibility
in this matter and their time and energy devoted to
the far more valuable and important duties of their profession, "
It need scarcely be said that this state of affairs no longer
exists. Indeed, there is the closest possible liaison between the
Public Health Department and the schools This is particularly
seen in the case of such serious diseases as poliomyelitis, although
the co-operation exists throughout the field of health
and has undoubtedly made a worth-while contribution to the health
and well being of our school children,
Diphtheria
For the ninth year in succession no case of diphtheria was
notified in the Borough, The last death took place in 1939
These figures would appear to indicate that diphtheria can no
longer be considered a serious menace, or perhaps it would be more
true to say that, for the time being diphtheria has lost its
terrors The fact that several cases of diphtheria have been notified
from various parts of the country within the past year, and
that some of these cases were extremely serious, points to the
fact, however, that the possibility of diphtheria returning as a
major infectious disease can still not be dismissed Every now
and again we receive a laboratory report which suggests that the
causative organism might have been the diphtheria baceillus We
also hear of cases which clinically resemble diphtheria being
admitted to an isolation hospital. Up to the present, none of
these cases have been substantiated. But we know only too well
that, should the rate of immunisation among children fall to any
appreciable extent, we might at any time be faced with quite a
serious problem.
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