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The battle to get children to attend school on a regular basis was one which was long and hard fought and which was still not fully resolved even by the end of the century.
However the efforts of the Victorian state to improve the lot of children were more successful in another aspect of their lives. The high mortality rate of children in the early decades of the nineteenth century began to decline as major advances were made in the field of public health after about 1860. The late Victorian period stands out as one in which there was a much greater awareness of how to control and treat diseases which had been endemic – infrequent but devastating diseases such as typhoid or cholera – but also more common diseases began to be tamed, such as measles, whooping cough and TB– TB alone for example was responsible for at least a quarter of all deaths.
This new concern comes through very strongly in the school log book where teachers become increasingly conscious of health issues as the century progressed towards its end – and were quick to act in concert with the medical officer at the first sign of illness breaking out.
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December 5th 1876
I have this morning seen Dr Crocker and owing to the fever being in the village he advised me to close the school and having informed Mr Jones the manager he told me to do so which I have done
1877 Jan 15th Re opened after being closed six weeks
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Thursday 23rd April 1884
Heard of a case of Small pox in Kingswood - Sent the children home who live near the house where the small pox is
Friday May 1st 15 Kingswood children absent on account of Small Pox; 3 on account of Ringworm; 4 on account of Whooping cough
1885
Had a case of Scarlatina reported to me. Sent a message to the parents of children living in that part of the village to keep their children away from school.
1888
The Doctor called and told me that he had called and seen some children in a part of the Parish called Carslake and found them suffering from measles. He advised me to send any children I had at school from those houses home. I did so at once.
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Sep 12th 1892
During the week ending Aug 5 the attendance was very poor and several children were sickening with measles. On Monday 8th during the Religious Instruction an order to close the school was received from the Medical Officer of Health and it was accordingly closed for five weeks which end today. There are I believe, still some few cases of measles, but it is to be hoped that the epidemic, which has had such disastrous effect upon the school, has now spent its force.
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On Monday Matilda Watts was unwell in school. On Tuesday she was reported as having a sore throat so I kept her brothers apart all day and reported to Medical Officer of Health who declared it fever that evening. The family is therefore excluded. This morning Mrs Calloway reports that Charles who has been absent for some time has very suspicious symptoms.
June 27 An order was received from the Sanitary authority this morning that the school should be closed for three weeks.
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March 14th Had a note from one parent at Vellow telling me that the children of a neighbour had some disease which she believed to be ‘Itch’. Received note after children had been dismissed for the day.
Tuesday 15th Kept a sharp eye on the children named and as they certainly have some eruption they are to remain at home
Thursday 17th Had many parents enquire as to the truth of the ‘Itch’ rumour
Several parents kept their children home in consequence
Friday 18th …The school has been fumigated
It is worth being reminded of the effects of the 1889 flu pandemic which killed over 1m; a strain of flu which was particularly virulent amongst children and the elderly with infection rates as high as 50%
Monday Several children sickened in school today with what appears to be a mild form of Influenza
Tuesday More children sickened today
Thursday Still more children sickening
Friday About 30 children absent owing to the ‘epidemic’
Monday A very poor attendance so many children sick
Tuesday Attendance still poorer several children sickened during the day , very unwell myself
Wednesday Too unwell to attend school. Miss L Symons in charge, she went home quite ill at 4 pm
Thursday I got to school though still unwell. Had not been here long before summoned home by a telegram: mother ill – dead.
Managers thought it advisable to close the school for a time, as the influenza was so prevalent.
©Duncan
Taylor 2009
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