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be presented until negative faecal specimens had been obtained. At
the same time family doctors practising in the locality of the school
were advised as to the position and their co-operation was requested.
Fortunately nothing further transpired.
Ringworm at St. Mary's R.C. School.
Dr. Poole, Deputy Medical Officer of Health, reports as
follows:—
"On February 21st information was received from a skin
specialist that he had diagnosed a very infectious type of ringworm
among children resident at St. Mary's Convent, Shernhall Street.
"The scalps of twenty-three children were affected and the
majority had been attending the St. Mary's R.C. School where there
were about 450 children on roll.
Since it was obvious that the infection must have been
present for some time, for about 18 per cent of the 130 children
resident in the Convent to have been affected, it was at first feared
that a similar proportion of the non-resident children attending
the school might already have, or be incubating, the disease.
"Accordingly top priority was given to the control of the
epidemic and the Deputy Medical Officer of Health and a School
Nurse were relieved of all other duties to concentrate on the
examination of the entire school.
"This was greatly facilitated by the purchase of a special
fluorescent lamp (Wood's Light), which enabled the lesions to be
detected before they became visible to the naked eye, and there
is no doubt that the speed and thoroughness with which repeated
examinations were carried out prevented the occurrence of a very
serious outbreak by ensuring the immediate exclusion and treatment
of all children found to be affected. Circular letters were sent to
the parents of all children attending the school and also to all
doctors practising in the district and the utmost co-operation was
received from everyone concerned.
"Arrangements were made for all cases too advanced for local
treatment, including all scalp infections which required epilation
by x-rays, to be treated at the Skin Department of the London
Hospital, which also was instrumental in arranging the admission
to Goldie Leigh Hospital of those cases for whom adequate nursing
facilities were not available at the Convent or at their own homes.
"When, as a result of the preliminary examinations, it became
apparent that the infection was mainly confined to the Convent
children, arrangements were made for all these to be segregated
and taught separately. Pressure was exerted by parents of some