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Though this statement of the mortality from
zymotic diseases is eminently satisfactory yet it is
of course an acknowledged fact that the elementary
schools are the principal foci of infection of certain
infectious diseases, notably scarlet fever, measles,
whooping cough, and diphtheria, equally with the
non-notifiable group, which include consumption,
chicken pox, mumps, ringworm, &c., and hence the
great necessity for school disinfection, as a means
of checking the spread of these diseases, especially
that of consumption. American and Continental
schools are systematically disinfected, not only in
the presence of disease, but also as a preventive
measure. The Scotch Education Department has
adopted the same precautions, and in a Memorandum
lately issued epitomises the reasons for doing so in
a couple of sentences—" To cleanse a schoolroom
properly it is necessary to destroy the germ life as
well as to remove the visible dirt. This is why
periodic disinfection is advisable, even when no
known infectious disease has been present." Under
the heading "Schools" I refer to this subject
further on.
Scarlet Fever.—There were 30 cases of
this disease notified during the year, of which
Surbiton contributed 12. Tolworth 13, and
Hook 5. Twenty-five were removed to the
Isolation Hospital, and there were no deaths.
They were spread over the entire year, and at
no time Was there anything of the nature of
12