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In addition to the above, some other diseases need comment.
Measles.
At the time of writing a proposal has been made by the
West Ham Branch of the National Council of Women Teachers
that this disease should be made compulsorily notifiable. One
can sympathise with the teachers, whose salaries, owing to the
grading of the schools per attendance, may be affected adversely
by a scant attendance due to measles which the Education
Committee does not consider grave enough to justify special
exemption from lower grading; but it is more than doubtful
whether the proposal will either secure the object sought or
materially benefit the public health.
Not only have towns which secured special powers in this
respect subsequently found them of little value, but from the
year 1915 to 1919, by general order of the Local Government
Board, primary cases of measles and German measles were
made notifiable throughout the country, and the experience
gained led to the rescinding order of the latter year. Owing to
the fact that the majority of cases of the disease are not seen by
a doctor unless some complication arises, notification gives a
very imperfect estimate of the incidence of the complaint,
whereas by the arrangement authorized by the Education
Committee whereby the School Attendance Officers report to
the Medical Officer of Health absentee school children suffering
from illness, a more liberal knowledge of juvenile sickness is
gained by him than through the medium of notification.
During the year under review by the method referred to
above, 1,066 cases of measles and 854 cases of whooping cough
were brought to the notice of the Medical Officer of Health, of