TUBERCULOSIS AT KUROW SCHOOL.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 397, 23 April 1902, Page 1

TUBERCULOSIS AT KUROW SCHOOL.

Our telegrams recently announced that the Government would not interfere in the matter of the Kurow School. The following is the report of the Health Officer:—

I have the horror to bring under your notice the recent outbreak of tuberculosis in Kurow School. I visited Kurow and Duntroon on the 7th and Bth inst., and my"‘report to you has been delayed in waiting for some information from the schoolmasters of these two schools, which has not yet reached me, as they aro away on their holiday. It appears that 11 well-marked cases of tubercular diseaso occurred in Kurow

School between April and November last year. Dr Stevens has supplied me with full details of each case, and in.most of

the cases bis opinion has been confirmed by Drs Douglas, Whit-ton, M’Donaid, aud Platts. Even in those eases not seen by other medical men, Dr Stevens has given such a careful and complete description of the symptoms that no further confirmation can bo wished. Dr Stevens seems to have spared no trouble in seeking for other possible causes for this outbreak in circumstances outside the school ; and it is remarkable how little can be found of predisposing causes in the homes of the affected children. In only one instance is one of the parents known to have in former years shown a tendency to consumption, and the other children of the

family have shown no sign of the diseaso. One of this family—a girl of eight—died. The only other death was that of a girl of 15, who swept the school; and this is probably another of the many recorded instances of the high infectious nature of tho dust of schools. Causes of the Outbreak,—l quite agree with Dr Stevens in considering that overcrowding and bad ventilation have probably been important factors in this serious outbreak, though some other causes may also have contributed thereto. Epidemics are generally due to combination of causes. Even assuming that there may have been some other source of infection, which Dr Stevens has not yet discovered, there can be no doubt that the condition of the schoolrooms was during last winter such as to develop rapidly any tendency to diseaso. In the winter the extreme cold requires the windows to be shut; but even in summer, although the strong winds interfere with the proper opening of windows, Dr Stevens reports that “ ho found the children in the infants’ room sitting as close together as they could sit, and the atmosp here was terribly and injuriously close and stifling.” If any proof were required of tho effect of tho school atmosphere, it has been abundantly supplied by the phenomenal improvement of all the non-fatal cases after their removal from school. Thus one child gained 101 b in 10 weeks after leaving school, another 141 bin about three months, and the rest more or less similarly. These nine non-fatal cases included seven serious oases and two slighter cases. The space occupied by each person may he estimated at 2 cubic feet, so that 120 persons occupy 240 cubic feet, The desks aud furniture amount to about the same, so that 480 cubic feet may be deducted from tho capacity of the rooms, giving a net capacity of 12,892 cubic feet. This allows 108.1 cubic feet for each person. The Englisn Education Department allows a minimum of 100 cubic feet in primary schools, but the London School Board requires a minimum of 100 cubic feet. Dr Newskolme, who is probably tho leading authority on such matters, states in his work on “ School Hygiene,” p. 9, that 150 cubic feet should be the minimum, and this opinion is endorsed in Parker and Kenwood’s Hygiene, 1901, p. 318. Other authorities require 200 cubic feet. Next-, as to the floor space, the two rooms have a total area of 1064 square feet. This allows 8,867 square feet for each person. Tho London School Board requires a minimum of 10 square feet, but Dr Newsholme statos that nothing less than 15 square feet is compatible with health. The discrepancy between the 100 cubic feet of space originally considered sufficient for school rooms and the 150 or 200 cubic feet now required by sanitarians is due to the fact that the 100 cubic feet are sufficient to provide sitting or standing room for each pupil; but as each pupil requires 2000 cubic feet of fresh air per hour the original 100 cubic feet would require renewing 20 times in each hour, which would causo excessive draughts. Even tho 150 cubic feet is much loss than is desirable, and would be quite inadequate if the schoolrooms were occupied for many hours consecutively. A ; 1 workrooms are now compelled by law to provide from 250 to 40Q cubic feet for each inmate. It will, of course, bo objected that to increase the floor space of schools from 10 to 15 square feet would involve the construction of 60 per cent more school buildings—a heavy tax on the country. On the other hand, there is some reason to fear that the present method fosters disease, and that some at least of our schools arc occasionally nurseries of tuberculosis. At the International Congress on Tuberculosis, held in London last July, it was affirmed without contndi:tiou that:

“ Deficient ventilation is the keynote of the cause of (human) tuberculosis, as out door iife is the keynote of its cure.” Ventilation.—The means provided for ventilation consist, in addition to the windows, of two of Howortk’s revolving cowls, which are worse than useless, and only make a creaking noise, which disturbs tho school. The opening in the ceiling causes such a down draught that it has to be covered over. It is often impossible to open the windows sufficiently on account of the strong winds prevalent in the gorge of the Waitaki. The quantity of air required per hour in the two school rooms is 210,000 cubic feet, an amount unattainable without special arrangements.' If desired, I shall be happy to discuss the question with your architect. As the winters in Ivurow are very cold, I think it would he a great advantage to have a ventilating grate, by which a large quantity of warmed fresh air is introduced, but extensive inlets and outlets must also be provided. Rain Shoots. —A deplorable method oi disposing of the rain water is adopted. The lower end of the rain shoot is carried underneath the schoolroom, where the water accumulates, but is out of sight, Closets : The condition of the closets is offensive and dangerous to health. I recommend that a 4iu. ventilating pipe be carried from beneath each seat to above the roof, and that louvred ventilators be fixed in the surrounding walls. The closets are cramped and crowded into much too small a space, whioh renders the air very foul. Although there are aere3 of ground, the boys’ and girls’ closets are collected in one block, which seems very undesirable. Earth, ashes, or lime should bo used. Sweeping : I have advised the use of wet sawdust in sweeping the school rooms. It is well known that the dust of such rooms is highly infectious, and_ that

the various disease germs occasionally introduced into a schoolroom attach them selves especially to the dust of the room It is significant that the girl who swep these rooms died iti a few weeks from a virulent type of tuberculosis. I have seen similar cases in the sweepers of other schoolrooms. The use of w 7 et sawdust would greatly lessen such risks, especially if a little Jeyes’s fluid or other disinfectant > were added to it. I have written to the school committee on this and several other matters connected with the school. I have also arranged for the disinfection of the school building and the isolation ol infected pupils,