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110
to succeed in one way or another. There is no doubt that
the trend of Public Health measures is more and more in
the direction of individual as against collective care, and
in this direction there is a great future for the usefulness
of suitably trained female Health Visitors of the right type.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
The accompanying table shows the amount of Infectious
Disease in connection with the schools during the year 1909.
Most of these diseases show a diminution from the preceding
year. The only three which show an increase are Mumps,
Measles, and Whooping Cough. The method of dealing
with these diseases was fully detailed in last year's report.
During the year an important circular dealing with school
closure and exclusion from school of particular children has
been sent out signed by the Chief Medical Officer of the
Local Government Board, and also by the Chief Medical
Officer of the Board of Education. The procedure there laid
down has been carried out for some few years now by this
authority, and has worked very well. The period of
exclusion, however, recommended by the circular is longer
in some instances than has been practised here. For
example, in Scarlet Fever, where the patient has been
removed to the Isolation Hospital, a fortnight has been
suggested by the circular as the time for other children in
the same house to be excluded from school after disinfection,
whereas one week has been the time in use in this district.
In originally fixing the time I was anxious to avoid interfering
with the school work as little as possible, and therefore
made it the very shortest practicable. I must confess I have
no evidence that it has not worked satisfactorily, but as it
is desirable to have a uniform system as far as possible,
and also as the Circular's times are undoubtedly the safer,