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diseases, by amounts between 15-45 per cent. These diseases were mumps and chickenpox;
asthma; gastritis and gastro-enteritis, and "gastric 'flu"; scarlet fever, acute pharyngitis
and tonsillitis, otitia media and earache.
Secondary-attack rates following single-case introductions of measles, mumps and
chickenpox were apparently lower in the irradiated schools.
The absences due to the diseases named above, which seemed to be affected by the
irradiation, form only a small part of the total sickness absence. The effect of irradiation
on total sickness absence is therefore small, and the results would not appear to justify
wide use of irradiation as a hygienic measure for the control of infection in primary urban
day schools.
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