scarlet fever in board school children

1060

tainties attending even a comparatively ordinary effort in

mountain climbing and the endurance which it may entail.Such considerations ought to teach the unwisdom of hastyaction in matters of this kind, and, above all, the fact that self-reliance with inadequate knowledge is no better than fool-hardiness.

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MEETING OF THE GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL.

THE General Medical Council will meet on Tuesday,Nov. 22nd, at two o’clock. It is impossible not to see that theaction and functions of the Council are becoming - moreand more matters of public interest. And many con-

siderations lead to the conclusion that at the approachingmeeting the Council will have to deal with difficult questionsrespecting not only the professional conduct of registeredpractitioners, but concerning the safety and welfare of thepublic. We may take an opportunity before the meeting ofthe Council of considering the form in which these questionsare likely to arise, though in the absence of the programme ofbusiness we can only conjecture.

RAG IMPORTATION.

ALREADY the effect of the various rag orders which havebeen drawn up by the Government as precautionary measuresagainst cholera is being felt in the heavy woollen district.It is reported that manufacturers have been obliged to with-draw from their patterns all goods made from foreign rags,and that for certain classes of goods particular rags (nowprohibited) are exclusively required. A request has beenmade by northern Chambers of Commerce that the Local

Government Board should permit the landing of properly dis-infected or carbonised rags, and that the prohibition of

rags from France, Holland, Belgium, and States of Germany,unconnected with Hamburg, should cease in November. These

are far-reaching requests which will doubtless be duly con-sidered by the Government. But no selfish local commercial

interests should be allowed to intervene between the publicduty of the Government and the general interests of thepopulation of this country that would be likely to suffer froman importation of cholera.

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SCARLET FEVER IN BOARD SCHOOL CHILDREN.

THE old story of a coach-and-four being driven throughany Act of Parliament finds its latest illustration in the easyevasion by parents of the Notification Act and the etlicacyof the simple plea of ignorance. Three parents havebeen summoned before the magistrate of the South-Western police-court for exposing their children while

suffering from scarlet fever and also for neglecting tonotify. None of the children had medical attendance,and the excuse of the parents was that they did not

know their children were suffering from scarlet fever.

Dr. Little, chairman of the sanitary committee of the

local board, gave evidence, and said the symptoms wereunmistakable. Cases multiplied in the neighbourhoodand suspicion fell on the local Board school. Themistress of the school sent to the sanitary inspector, ex-

pressing her belief that one of the children in the school hadscarlet fever. Both the inspector and Dr. Little went tothe school and found there were no less than three casesin a state of active and obvious peeling. Two of the childrenhad gone continuously to school, the third had been keptat home on account of "a sore-throat and cold." Dr.

Little has kindly given us further particulars in a letter.

The schools have been closed. Between thirty and fortycases have occurred, and hospital accommodation has hadto be supplied. The cost to the ratepayers is estimated to bebetween £300 and 400. The magistrate (Mr. Denman) ex-

pressed an important opinion. Dr. Little had given evidencethat he could not say that he believed that the Parents knew

their children had scarlet fever; but he thought they hadshown great carelessness, as there must have been a rasli andthe desquamation was very noticeable. Mr. Denman said hewould like to see an Act passed making parents responsiblewhether they had a guilty knowledge or not. This is what itmust come to. The sense of responsibility in parents whosechildren are suffering from diseases so mischievous to othersmust be quickened. There is no excuse in these days forparents who neglect their duty in this respect when medicaladvice can be so easily procured.

THE FOUNDLING HOSPITAL.

THE secretary of this hospital reports that the outbreakof scarlet fever there has not been virulent, but proceeds tostate that since last March 200 children have suffered fromthe disease. This seems a large number, and points stronglyto the need of some isolation building. The secretary states,too, that the drainage was remodelled in 1886, and has beenrecently pronounced satisfactory by Dr. Sykes, the healthofficer of St. Pancras. The latter writes to The Tintes tocorrect this rosy view, and to state that he had reported thatthe grease trap required alteration, that all waste-pipesshould be cut off from the drains and sinks removed fromwards and dormitories. He had also strongly advised thatan isolated infirmary and probationary ward should be con.structed. We trust, with Dr. Sykes, that the committee ofthis excellent institution has seen fit to carry out the above

suggestions, and that there will be no recurrence of scarlet

fever, which has excited so much comment.

THE STOURPORT MEDICAL AID ASSOCIATION.

A CORRESPONDENT dating from Aston, writing to the

Birmingham Daily News, says that in the Stourport MedicalAid Company there are, or have been, all the Dissentingministers, one solicitor, four members of the local board,nine-tenths of the publicans, 50 per cent. of all the tradesmen(including large drapery houses), all the coal merchants,many owners of house property and a large number of

farmers. The surgeon receives less than ls. lld. per member.He is said to be no better off with a membership of 3058 thanwhen there was only a membership of 2000. It is lamentablethat respectable and intelligent men should continue in asso-ciations so to " sweat" and to starve a liberal profession. Wecannot pretend to see what advantage they gain by it or hopeto gain. There is no compulsion in them so to act. Theycannot maintain that there is any justice or adequacy in

such terms. It is of course lamentable that medical men so

poor either in spirit or purse should be found to take such

appointments, to the ruin of their profession. But this does

not acquit ministers of religion, publicans and thrivingtradesmen.

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THE POLLUTION OF THE AIRE.

IT is well known that the West Riding County Councilhave for some time past been desirous of putting an end to thedisgraceful and well-nigh intolerable state of the river Aire,which is fouled to an almost incredible extent with sewageand trade refuse. With a view to this end a conference was

organised at Leeds last week between the Sanitary Com.mittee of the County Council and representatives of the

sanitary and conservancy authorities in the basin of the Aireand its tributaries. There seemed to be a unanimity of opinionthat the sewage pollutions ought to be forthwith dealt with,and that as regards trade refuse steps ought at once to betaken to ascertain how this may best be treated or disposedof so as to avoid pollution of the river. Notwithstanding theapparent concurrence of opinion, we almost fear that nothingvery immediate is in prospect. Leeds and Bradford claim that

since they are county boroughs they are not concerned with any