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62
The incidence of the disease gradually became greater as the
year progressed, as is shown by the figures on the accompanying
graph.
During the summer holidays the numbers as will be seen,
diminished considerably, and one hoped that the Autumn would
prove that the outbreak had substantially diminished or was over.
This unfortunately proved not to be so, and there was a steady
progress upwards from September.
In the early part of the year the outbreak was principally
confined to the congested part of the Isleworth North Ward. The
children from this area attend the Isleworth Town School, and a
considerable number of cases were notified from the various class;
in that school.
A strict watch was kept on the classes and any suspicion!
cases swabbed, but it was impossible to convict the school as a
factor in the spread. This was borne out by the fact that in the
Junior School the classes affected, mixed with portions of two
classes for handwork lessons with what is known technically as
"free discipline," and despite the mixing of children with the classes
amongst whose pupils cases kept cropping up in the half of the class
that remained in their original room, no cases occurred amongst the
pupils of the two other classes with whom they mixed.
In order to clear the matter up, eventually the whole school
was swabbed, including the teachers and the caretakers, and cultures
were taken from the drinking apparatus, but it was clear that
the spread was taking place outside the school.
Despite everything that was done to limit the outbreak, the
disease progressed, and one could only come to the conclusion
that one had to deal with an "unsalted" population.
This district has been growing enormously, and a considerable
proportion of the population have come out from more congested
areas into a district in which practically all the new houses are