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62
Measles.—Downshall, Loxford, and Highlands Schools
were most affected by this disease.
On looking at the table it will be seen what a large
proportion of "contacts," or healthy children living in the
same house as the patient, have to be excluded in such
diseases as Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria. In neither
Erysipelas nor Typhoid Fever do we exclude these
"contacts," unless the patient is nursed at home, and means
of isolation are very defective.
With regard to the other diseases, Measles, Chicken
Pox, and Whooping Cough, "contacts" are not excluded
if they are not in the infants' department and have had the
disease before. "Contacts" attending infant schools are,
however, excluded, as the incidence of these diseases is the
heaviest in the infants' department. In Ringworm, of
course, "contacts " are not excluded.
By this somewhat relaxed method, a far larger number
of children are kept at school, thus affecting the attendance
less, and at the same time with no increased risk of spreading
the disease. So far, it has been found to work well.
If the Education Bill of the past year had become law, it
would have been compulsory to medically examine all new
children on entering school, and it would then be possible
to have a schedule for each child, and in a short time the
school authority would be in possession of a complete physical
history of each child.
In this connection, it may be of interest to the Committee
to give Dr. Mackenzie's account of his recent visit to a