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15
It is to be regretted that these conditions should still be so
common in our schools, and it is very hard on respectable parents
to have their children running the risk of getting their heads
infected in this way. Still, it is noteworthy that a reduction from
20 5 to 11-4 per cent, has occurred since last year.
Need for more Public Facilities for Cleansing.
Dr. Hope, School Medical Officer of Liverpool, reports in this
connection as follows:—
"In many districts of the City it is exceedingly difficult
to cleanse children who have been allowed to become verminous.
If the head is affected the hair can be cut, and that cures
the condition, but when the clothing is verminous it is necessary
to boil it and to iron the seams with a hot iron. Many
families have no utensils for boiling water in except a kettle,
and obviously cannot undertake the sterilizing of verminous
garments. Others have perhaps a small tin in which one
garment at a time can be boiled, but there is difficulty in
drying the garments afterwards, and not infrequently children
have returned to school in wet garments after the cleansing
has been effected at home. Consequently, a very strong case
can be made out for more public facilities for enabling poor
people firstly, to cleanse themselves, and secondly, to rid
themselves and their garments from vermin. It is, however,
an unwise policy to restrict such facilities to school children
only, as these children get re-infected at the home by the
older and younger members of the family, to whom they may
have brought vermin from school, and facilities must be
provided for these also. Not only that, but these other
members have an equal claim with the school children to have
cleansing facilities provided. So important and desirable an
object is cleanliness, that these facilities should be provided
either quite free or at quite a nominal charge. Cleanliness
is an enemy to disease, and if these facilities could be provided
it would tend further to promote the health of the City."
Similar remarks apply to this district.