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78
In addition to the measures there mentiijned, weekly returns are sent
me by Mr. Jones, the Superintendent of the Attendance Officers, giving
the alleged reasons of the children's absence from each School. These
returns are of great value in the case of all the non-notifiable infectious
diseases of childhood, and the knowledge of prevalence of sore throat
at any particular School helps in the control of Diphtheria.
In 1904 I supplied every School with a large card, detailing the
symptoms and the mode of recognition of all the infectious diseases
common to children, and on Monday and Thursday mornings I see all
the children referred to me as suffering from Scabies, Ringworm,
Impetigo, Ophthalmia, or other conditions, and advise thereon.
The head and other teachers are fully alive to the danger in their
Schools of children so suffering, and help materially in their detection
and prevention.
Until November—when Dr. Hall was appointed to carry out the
systematic medical inspection of the children under the Education
(Administrative Provisions) Act—schedules were sent to the Schools to
be filled in with the names and addresses of any children in attendance
who, in the judgment of the teachers, required medical examination.
I subsequently visited and inspected over five hundred such children,
and as far as the time of one Health Visitor, engaged in other work
would permit, these children found suffering from serious defects were
subsequently visited at their homes and advice given to their parents.
These inspections at School were helpful to the teachers and the
children, and the condition of many of the latter enabled me to indicate
to the Sanitary Inspector that certain homes were most likely to be in
an insanitary condition, and in consequence many house inspections
ensued and cleansings effected that otherwise would not have taken place.
In February, Diphtheria showed itself in the Queen's Road Infants'
School, but the cause was quickly discovered in a child attending, and
with its exclusion no other case arose.
Disinfection was carried out at six Schools during the year, and
Selwyn Avenue Junior Mixed was so dealt with in September, October,
and December.
Following the holidays, a circular letter was sent to each Head
Teacher, asking that all children should be carefully looked at for any
signs of recent undetected Scarlet Fever, such as peeling of the hands.